Affection in an unloving world
by Whispering Mink
Summary: Ulquiorra and Orihime are living together, Ulquiorra working as a writer and Orihime as an insecure actor. follow their life as they try to handle work, insecurity and jealosy. AU - summary may change later on.
1. Snowflakes can melt too

**Affection in an unloving world**

**Chapter 1: "Snowflakes can melt too"**

**Summary: **Ulquiorra and Orihime are living together in an apartment, Ulquiorra working as a writer and Orihime as an insecure actor. A series of events follow their everyday life and makes the couple wonder: "Can affection exist in an unloving world?"

**A/N: **_Hello there. This is something completely new to me since I normally don't write in 'real-world-environments xD It is really fun to write like this especially with the pairing I've chosen. And I know that Ulquiorra can't be kept completely in character but I write him as if! He has a heart and has always lived in a normal world._

Reviews are appreciated, don't be too harsh on my English, and I hope you enjoy the first chapter ^^

She was sitting in their big black leather couch - her hair splaying across the soft fabric, as she leaned her head across the armrest, looking upside down across the room and towards her one and only love, Ulquiorra. He was sitting at his desk, consumed in the little laptop in front of him, hitting the keyboard in a steady pace, only taking breaks to think.

She smiled softly as she turned herself around so she could get a proper look of him. He was dressed in a brown sweater, light blue jeans, and a pair of white socks which now were hanging loosely at one of his feet.

He was not flinching, his emerald green eyes fixed to the screen as the professional writer he after all was, his raven hair was still slightly wet from the shower he had taken earlier, and his pale skin was illuminated by the strong light the laptops screen created.

It was evening and their living room still carried a faint scent of food. The dinner had been wonderful, consisting of meat, potatoes and roasted vegetables. The only thing that annoyed her from time to time was that the dinner was made by Ulquiorra.

Ever since they moved in together he had insisted on making breakfast and dinner, obviously because her cooking was too… special? No, special was not the right word to describe it. Taken from Ulquiorra's own mouth it would be called something along the lines of 'different'. And even though he didn't seemed like the type, his cooking was actually excellent even though she preferred to spice her food up a bit after it was served.

"Ulquiorra?"

She asked, slowly turning in the couch to direct her eyes back towards the window she had fixated her eyes at earlier. Outside the snow was falling down in gentle waves making her smile softly once again.

"Yes?"

"I'm leaving for the talent agency soon"

…

Silence for a while.

"Good luck"

She lifted her head and looked at him; he had not flinched from his seat, still staring at the bright screen, typing more and more words onto the laptop. Slightly disappointed by this she rose from the couch to quickly straighten her clothing, a black shirt and a grey skirt with legwarmers, before gliding across the floor towards Ulquiorra.

He turned his head in slight surprise when she placed her head at his shoulder, gently placing a kiss at his cheek.

"I'll be home at 10 PM, unless it…"

Her sentence was cut off when Ulquiorra placed his lips at hers, cupping her cheek with his cold hands, and slowly initiating one of those deep passionate kisses she loved him for.

"You look beautiful" he commented, making Orihime blush slightly in a moment of sheer self-awareness, as he unconsciously tugged up at her shirt when he snuck two strong arms around her waist.

"Please, I can't be late" She murmured in a weak attempt to escape his caressing fingers which was sending small shivers up her spine with every touch.

He buried his face at her neck as he tugged her closer, forcing her to lean into his embrace. She felt as he inhaled sharply at her neck, before placing a small kiss there.

Just as she was about to abandon all hope of getting to the audition on time, he loosened his grip, allowing her to 'escape' his always addicting embrace.

"Do your best, I'm sure you're going to win that role"

She smiled lovingly at him in response to his words, placing a last soft kiss at his lips before half-heartedly, leaving his embrace. When he said something like that, how could she possibly doubt that she got the role?

"Make sure you're getting some fresh air once in a while"

She stated almost in a lecturing tone, but this quickly faded when she smiled reassuring – making clear that she only said it because she was caring for him.

"Don't let the book consume you completely"

He had been writing the book the last 5 days almost non-stop. Only stopping for basic needs like food, sleep and the daily bath he always took early in the morning. She honestly got a little worried the first nights where he entered their bedroom 3:30 AM, snuggling into her, waking her from the fast state of sleep she otherwise was in. He did not explain why he went so late to bed, but he immediately fell asleep just moments later.

And if that was not enough he even woke up again at 6 AM to take his morning bath!? How could he possibly get enough sleep by that?

He diverted his eyes from her, looking absentminded at the ceiling as if to avoid the confrontation he knew was sneaking up on him.

He answered quickly, gazing at her with his characteristic emerald eyes as he spoke.

"I don't assume you want to be late to your appointment so…"

She looked at the big white clock which hung above their dinner table, first noticing the time when he pointed it out. _What? Is it already this late?!_

She ran through the kitchen with no graze what so ever, grabbing her bag and jacket, almost knocking the can of tea down from the table as she rushed through the kitchen.

Even though she was in a hurry, she did not forget the fact that Ulquiorra was avoiding the subject of relaxing a bit from the book. After all, it was not healthy for him to work that hard and she could see that he desperately needed a break - even though he never stated so.

"Remember what I said!" was the last words she uttered before she slammed the front door shut, and stepped out in the white and grey streets. The cold wind mixed with snowflakes quickly washed over her, sending chills down her body and especially her bare legs which were completely naked to the cold environment.

She ran down the street, headed for the train station, while hoping sincerely to catch the train in time.

----------------

_She should have worn more clothing…_

He slowly diverted his eyes from the laptops screen, starring intensely out the nearest window. The snow was falling like never before and in the background the television could be heard – warning about the raising possibility of a storm.

_Don't worry, she is taking the train, and the walk from here to the station is not that far…_

He let out a small sigh as he remembered Inoue's words about getting 'some fresh air' and not to be completely consumed by the book.

A little reliantly he chose to follow her suggestion, by finishing the chapter he was in the progress of, and closing his laptop shortly afterwards.

At first he just walked around in the apartment with a blank expression, wondering if he should walk towards the station and meet her there when the audition was over. Then he made more tea, drank about 3 cups, before throwing himself onto the black couch where Inoue had been laying before she left. Even though it had been so long ago, he could still sense faint warmth in the couch, produced from her body heat.

_She is probably cold when she comes home…_

He lifted his gaze lazily from the pillow he had buried his face in. His emerald eyes fell upon the door that led to the apartment's only bathroom. A weak but faint smile escaped his otherwise emotionless face.

_A bath… _

_-------------_

Orihime felt as the cold swept over her the moment she stepped out of the train - the wind crawling all the way down her coat and sweeping through her legs which were now a faint pink color due to the cold.

The audition had been as the usual. She had presented herself as well as she could but became nervous as time went by and the pressure was enforced. Her legs began to wobble slightly and the lines she was supposed to say came out with a shaky undertone – only making the agency representatives drop her completely.

She felt frustrated and disappointed in herself. All her lines were perfect when she practiced in the mirror, but once there were people judging her, the strong and confident posture she otherwise carried would crack.

She sneezed, rushing down the cold streets only illuminated by the light from the street lamps. She took her cell phone out of her bag to check the clock. 11:45 PM.

_He has probably gone to bed by now… Otherwise I'm not gonna go easy on him_

She clenched her fist to show she meant business, and almost lost her foothold because of that, when she crossed a frozen puddle.

If he was still awake at this hour where he was supposed! To be sleeping, she would personally shut that evil laptop down and drag him to bed. Trivial matters like deadlines shouldn't be what damaged his health in the long run.

She stopped, blinking her gray eyes in disbelief when she reached the door that led up to their apartment.

Outside, on the doorstep, only wearing a sweatshirt stood Ulquiorra. His pale skin seemed more pale than the usual (if that was even possible) and his raven hair had collected small white flakes of snow everywhere. To her, he looked like a lost puppy more than anything.

"What are you doing out here?!" She asked with clear confusion and worry in her voice.

He did not answer at first, just slowly lifted his gaze to look at her, as if she had just asked the most obvious question ever.

"I'm getting some fresh air while waiting for you"

If it was not because she was a somewhat decent woman, she would have 'face palmed' herself right there on the spot. Instead she shoved him inside by force, making him stumble backwards slightly.

"How did the audition go?"

He asked, forcing Orihime to relent the fact that she was supposed to be mad at him. She hated to disappoint him time after time, but she knew he could see the answer just by looking at her – after all, she had never been very good at concealing her emotions.

Like a certain person she knew.

And as predicted, all it took was a short gaze before Ulquiorra was aware of the outcome.

She yelped in surprise as she felt a strong but cold hand at her wrist, dragging her determined up the stairs to their apartment. When they entered he locked the door firmly behind them, and took a firm hold at her jacket, beginning to open the many buttons that held it together on her body.

"You look cold"

He murmured, clearly trying to lead the situation on to something not regarding the audition.

"It **is** cold" She stated - the sorrow still prominent in her voice as she spoke.

She did not stop him as he stripped her completely from the jacket, letting it fall to the floor with a small 'thump' and leaving her shivering for a moment. After all, the jacket had been warm and therefore the loss of it, made a massive change in temperature for her.

She jumped in surprise as two cold hands snuck around her waist from behind, and began to unbutton the gray skirt she was wearing. She shivered, not really understanding why he suddenly chose to undress her.

"What are you..?"

She asked but got caught by surprise when he ran his cold hands up her stomach, making her flinch from the chill he emitted to her.

As the skirt fell to the ground he leant closer to her, placing gentle kisses up her neck and all the way op to her cheek.

"I'm undressing you…" He answered as if it was the most normal thing in the world to do.

He continued to slide his hand further up her stomach, grabbing her shirt in the process and slowly lifting it above her head.

"But why are you doing that? It is cold enough when I'm dressed?"

She began to get accustomed to the cold, even though she could still feel it linger all over her body. A faint blush adorned her face as he completely removed her shirt, revealing the white set of underwear she was wearing underneath.

Even though they had lived together for almost a year now, she still felt slightly embarrassed whenever she was naked or in any way exposed to him. Not because she was that unsure of her appearance, he after all, told her she was beautiful often, but because of his eyes.

The sharp green color always gazing at her, making her more self-conscious than she normally was in others presence.

"I want you to take a warm bath with me…"

The blush was only enforced by these words, but before she even had the chance to say more he began to walk towards the bathroom, still with his hands firmly placed around her waist and therefore dragging her along.

"A bath… sounds nice"

She murmured shyly, quickly looking in the direction of Ulquiorra's desk, happy to find the laptop shut down and closed neatly.

When they came to the bathroom, Ulquiorra slowly let go of her waist and pulled the sweatshirt he was wearing over his head – messing his hair up in the process.

No matter how many times she saw his upper body, it always left her speechless and slightly shy. He had slight visible muscles here and there but was otherwise slim in posture. It also made her wonder how he could maintain that body when he, after all, used most of his time at the computer and not in a gym.

She cleared her throat, deliberately avoiding the strong gaze he was sending her out of sheer embarrassment. It felt kind of weird to still behave like a little nervous teenager when she had just turned 20, and even though Ulquiorra never seemed to be annoyed by it, she was kind of frustrated at herself because of it.

Gathering courage, she approached him letting her finger run down his upper body, while he just followed her every movement with slightly curious eyes – letting her explore the newly revealed part of his body.

When she ran her finger lower and lower down, until they reached the edge of his pants, he got the message and began to remove the piece of clothing without saying anything

"Did you finish your chapter?"

She asked suddenly, leaving him for a moment to turn on the hot water in the shower and remove her underwear as well.

He remained quiet, approaching her silently and pushing her into the shower when he got close enough to her.

"Does it matter right now?"

She lifted her head towards Ulquiorra in wonder, feeling as the still cold water slid down her body in even streams. She gently entangled her hands in his hair, smiling lovingly at him as if to reassure him - the self-awareness slowly fading in the process.

"You're right, it doesn't matter"

He bent down to her, kissing her lips gently while he grabbed the shampoo at the little shelf in the shower. He squished a good portion of the golden shampoo into one of his hands, the mild scent of artificial honey filling the cabin while he massaged the shampoo evenly in her long orange hair.

First now the water became warm, and it made Orihime throw her head slightly back and sigh in sheer pleasure. For a moment she even forgot about the massive decline she had got at the audition, replaced by the feeling of warmth and the overwhelming presence of Ulquiorra.

"Mmm…"

She hummed, once and for all meeting Ulquiorra's emerald eyes which had been lingering at her face ever since they entered the shower. His expression was somewhat blank, but his hands which were putting shampoo in her hair, were gentle and caring as always.

"We should do this more often…"

She murmured, immediately getting a response as Ulquiorra used the remaining shampoo to rub across her shoulders and down her waist, to her breast and down her thighs - making her moan unconsciously from the slight roughness he was using.

"Yes, I agree"

He whispered against her neck, kissing a soap free spot and continued down to her collarbone when the shampoo was completely gone from her body.

Orihime gasped slightly as she felt him push her further against the cold tiles which the showers walls was compromised of. She placed her hand at his shoulder blushing slightly as she knew what was about to come.

He bowed his head to her bosoms, looking up at her with his deep green eyes - waiting for the magic words to escape her mouth.

"Please Ulquiorra…"

**A/N: **I'm pretty pleased with this and I definitely plan on continuing it as many chapters as my imagination allows. I'm not sure if I'm gonna use the M rating in the next chapter, but we'll see, we'll see x) – Reviews are, as always, appreciated ^^


	2. Stressful relaxation

**Affection in an unloving world**

**Chapter 2: "Stressful relaxation"**

**A/N: **_Hello out there ^^ Here is chapter 2, hope you enjoy it_

Orihime woke up in their shared bed; the scent of the newly changed bed sheets was quickly inhaled down her nose and sent a pleasant feeling down her body. She peeked up from the comfortable warm of her duvet, to look at the digital watch at her night table.

The big red numbers said 9:34 AM

She let out a small unpleased moan as she rolled around in the bed to claim the whole bed as she always did in the morning - but not this morning.

Because as she rolled further towards Ulquiorra's side of the bed, mumbling nonsense in the process, she felt how her body bumped into something. Or more correctly, someone!

She opened her eyes slowly, just to be met by the sight of Ulquiorra's face - his eyes closed and a small even breathing emitting from him.

She was surprised to say the least since he never was in the bed at this hour. He would normally have taken a shower at about 6 AM, made a cup of tea or coffee right after, and then placed himself at the little monster of a laptop again.

A soft smile was slowly formed across her lips. After all she didn't mind to share the bed with him this morning, it was actually pretty nice to have his presence at her side in the morning even though it was rare for him to sleep longer than her.

She ran her fingers through the long black locks of his hair, careful not to wake him up while she studied his face for a couple of moments. Maybe he just needed the sleep?

An idea crossed her mind, making her smile widely, but since the idea would include leaving the bed, she waited for about 10 minutes before she unwillingly removed the warm duvet from her body and left the comfortable warmth from the sheets.

Immediately the cold air hit her almost completely naked body, sending her down on the floor in a squatting position to keep whatever warmth she could get.

First now her brain caught up with the 'event' from the night before. A faint blush adorned her face as she forced herself up to stand again, trying to ignore the creeping cold.

He had been extremely loving and caring in the shower. It was not something unusual for him, but she had, none the less, noticed how he seemed a little distant from time to time, staring into the white tiles in the shower as if his body was there but his mind was shut off.

She crept across the wooden floor, carefully stepping where she knew it wouldn't make any sounds that could possibly wake Ulquiorra from his sleep. She headed straight for the kitchen, humming lowly the melody from a song that had been caught in her head ever since it had been a hit in the radio, and therefore played to death at the radio channel she often listened to.

When in the kitchen she quickly made herself some breakfast consisting of bread and plain jam since they apparently was at loss of more exotic food. With the modest breakfast in her hand and a cup of tea in the other, she placed herself in their black couch, turning the television on and leaning back.

-----------------

He slowly opened his eyes, immediately feeling the heaviness of his body as he lifted himself up in a sitting position. His head felt like lead and his throat like sandpaper.

He groaned slightly, throwing himself back into the comfortable warmth provided by his duvet and pillow – first now he noticed that Inoue wasn't lying beside him.

Looking lazily at the digital clock, he suddenly understood why.

_Why did I not wake up before now…_

He forced himself out of the bed, quickly putting a pair of pants on, before slowly venturing outside the bedroom just to be met by Inoue in the living room - her eyes wide and full of wonder.

------------------

She could clearly see that something was terribly wrong with Ulquiorra. His eyes were slightly red and puffy, his breathing rougher than usual and he almost stumbled when he did not lift his feet properly across the bedrooms doorstep.

"You look terrible"

She immediately said, not trying to cover up that he indeed looked like a mess.

"You're feeling alright?"

He lifted his eyes lazily, looking at her with the most composed look he could muster, and then lifting his feet once again to walk across the room.

"I'm okay… Don't worry"

She didn't left him out of her sight for even a moment, immediately standing up from the couch when he seemed to ignore the condition he so clearly was in.

_Then there's no way around it._

As he headed towards the kitchen she quickly stepped towards him, grabbing his wrist and pulling him slightly backwards as a signal for him to wait for a moment.

He turned around, gazing down at her as she placed her free hand at his forehead to take his temperature. There was no doubt that he had a fever.

Out of concern she brushed his cheek gently, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

"You're not okay at all"

She stated, carefully grabbing his other wrist so she had both his hands in a firm hold. He just looked down at her in complete silence; the only sound in the apartment came from the still turned on television Orihime had been watching earlier.

When he chose not to say anything she smiled softly at him, immediately making him stare into her eyes for longer than normal people would find comfortable.

At last he spoke.

"I have to finish my chapter; otherwise I won't make the deadline"

He did not glare at her or said it in an unpleasant tone, he simply stated the obvious. Even so it made her change the soft smile to a somewhat unpleased expression, since he clearly suggested that he was not alright and simply thought about getting the chapter done before the deadline came.

She still found it impressive, not in a positive way, that he could think about work before his health. The chapter would be no good if he wrote it in a sick state anyway, so she could not see the point in forcing his body instead of just relaxing and wait for the sickness to disappear.

"This is not a matter we'll discuss; you're going back to bed again"

She said, unwavering in her words and with a strict look in her eyes.

They just stood like that for what seemed like minutes, starring into each other's eyes – clear gray against strong green, trying to determine who was supposed to surrender.

Ulquiorra sighed.

--------------

He was back in bed, lying on his back with his head slightly lifted because of a punch of pillows Inoue had placed neatly behind his head.

Even though he felt like his pride had taken a big hit, he tried to forget that. After all he somehow always lost the will to discuss when Inoue was involved, and especially when he in the end knew that she was the right one.

He lifted his gaze slowly when he heard Inoue's small humming fill the bedroom, before she came in with a little tray in her hands. On the tray was a cup with the usual tea they drank, two toasts with some strange purple mixture on, and a glass of juice.

She put the tray in his lap while smiling widely at him.

It was obvious that she found it enjoyable to prepare a meal, even though Ulquiorra felt pretty skeptical when he saw the alarming purple color of the toasts.

"Thank you"

He murmured politely, while secretly waiting for her to leave. But it seemed to backfire on him as Inoue sat down on the edge of the bed, looking intensely at him - from him to the tray, him, the tray, him, the tray, him the tray...

He gulped silently. He knew what she waited for. She wanted to see him eat the food.

The big smile still lingered at Inoue's features as she unconsciously tilted her head from side to side, keen on seeing him eat the cooking she herself had made.

"Its strawberry jam mixed with beetroot" she stated proud, not noticing how Ulquiorra's face gradually became paler and paler.

He gently lifted one of the toasts to his mouth, praying inwardly as he took a small bite.

The taste that met him was… indescribable… and not in a positive way.

Thank god he rarely fell ill!

-------------

As the day went by Orihime found it more and more satisfying to walk around and do homely chores. Since the next audition was first held in the evening, she had the whole day to just walk around in the apartment, making food to Ulquiorra who ate all she served with a small 'thank you', and doing chores like go shopping for groceries – a thing Ulquiorra normally would do.

But the day didn't go just as planned. Ulquiorra, the ever dutiful writer, had a nasty habit of sneaking out of his bed when it suited him.

First time she caught him halfway through their living room, clearly headed for his laptop. After a warning glare he returned to his bed.

Second time was he in the kitchen, explaining that he was hungry, therefore she send him to bed again and made a double toast with strawberry jam and beetroot for him. She found it pretty odd that he shortly afterwards lost his appetite.

The hours went by and before very long it became evening, and the time for the audition came closer. This time it was an audition for a role in the newly made play at the local theater. It was especially the story which had driven her to attend the audition.

"The play is about a young girl falling madly in love with a soldier"

She smiled happy at Ulquiorra while she explained the basics of the story to him.

"The soldier promises to return to the young girls side when the war ends, but he is shot at the day for the war to end"

Ulquiorra seemed to listen attentively at her every word, lightly stroking her hand with his fingers as she continued to speak.

"He is then sent to the nearest hospital, but dies before the doctors can do anything about it. Heartbroken, the young girl isolates herself completely from the outside world, and finally decides to commit suicide when her grief becomes too much of a burden"

Orihime tilted her head slightly to the side, looking awaiting at Ulquiorra to receive some sort of reaction.

"You're sure it's a role fitted for you?"

She blinked her eyes in confusion by his question, laughing heartwarmingly in response.

"Oh don't worry, I'm not expecting to get the main role, anything will be just fine"

He held her hand again, pulling her further towards him, the soft bed sheets making her want to forget about the audition for a while.

"You're breathtakingly beautiful, believe in yourself"

She gazed at him with thankful eyes when he spoke those familiar words, as he slowly pulled her closer, slowly initiating a kiss.

Before this happened however, Orihime gently placed her hand across his lips, blocking the otherwise loving moment while a teasing smile adorned her lips.

"I don't want to get sick too"

He frowned unpleased by this, bowing his head and instead began to nip carefully at her neck.

"But you kissed me more than enough yesterday and you don't seem sick?"

She shivered slightly as he ran his tongue along the soft flesh at her neck while she halfheartedly tried to pull away from him and the small twisting words he spoke.

"I'm not taking any chances"

At first he seemed to accept this, slowly removing himself from her neck… just to grab her by the shoulders and shoving her on to the bed, hovering over her as if he was some sort of predator looking down at his newly caught prey.

"What if I'm taking you by force?"

He asked, with his strong gaze lingering at her.

She couldn't help but smile a bit at this, mainly because she could conclude he was feeling better.

"Just refrain from kissing me on the lips then"

------------------

"Number 41, Orihime Inoue"

She took a deep breath when she heard her name being called.

The same sentence looping in her head

"_You're breathtakingly beautiful, believe in yourself"_

**A/N: **_*Pheeew* Okay this was written pretty fast since I got a sudden rush of writing-disease xD I hope you enjoyed reading the chapter, Reviews are appreciated ^^_


	3. More than a kiss

**Affection in an unloving world**

**Chapter 3: "More than a kiss"**

**A/N: **_Hello again, I'm really happy that people seem to like my fic since the whole AU-thing is completely new to me x) None the less I can say that I find it really enjoyable to write and that this chapter will hold some serious problems for the little couple :p_

_Read to find out ^^_

The sound of the door being forced up resonated in the little apartment, followed by the sound of rushing steps.

Ulquiorra was sitting in the dining room at his usual spot at the computer.

When these sounds reached his ears he quickly lifted his head, looking with wonder towards the kitchen where he knew Orihime would appear sooner or later.

Even though he still had long to go with finishing the next chapter in his book, he took his time to see what the reason for her sudden rushing was.

He knew the answer when he saw her face.

Both her lips and eyes were smiling with all their pride, signalizing the endless joy she probably felt. In her hand was a big pile of paper which she waved excitedly over her head.

Nonsense left her mouth in a hopeless attempt to form a proper sentence – making his lips form a small smile.

"Congratulations"

She inched closer to him, still smiling widely as she placed the pile of papers in his lap.

"I… I go-got the main role"

He removed the papers from his lap, placing them on top of his laptop before gently holding her hand in his. He smiled to her in an almost reassuring way.

"See? You can do anything as long as you believe in yourself"

* * *

She felt an endless joy bubble from all inside her stomach, making her smile more than what were comfortable for her cheeks.

She remembered how she had been nervous as always to the audition. But none the less found some sort of calm in looping Ulquiorra's words in her head – ultimately leading her to become that more confident.

The people who were looking and judging her were pretty nice as well, smiling at her as she spoke, telling her not to be nervous while they scribbled notes down on their papers.

When she finally got called in to hear their decision she couldn't believe her ears. They commented on her very unique appearance, red hair was apparently not something very common, and how she had spoken the lines with so much passion and grief that they could only awe at her talent.

Of course she had been nervous, and they also commented that, but never with a negative tone. They simply turned it to something positive, speaking about how the character she was supposed to play was allowed to be nervous and timid from time to time.

Orihime laughed quietly when Ulquiorra held her hand – feeling the truth in the words he had spoken.

"Thank you…"

She mumbled, feeling the tears of joy well up in the corners of her eyes.

Slightly embarrassed by this, she quickly began to wipe the tears away, feeling as Ulquiorra gave her hand a slight squeeze.

She felt like she could climb mountains with Ulquiorra's help.

* * *

She was lying in the couch, the big manuscript in her hands as she began to read the whole thing through.

The story was still intriguing her, but the endless amount of lines were making her slightly nervous.

After all her memory had never been that great, often leaving her to forget things under pressure. Especially if she didn't repeated the things she should remember in her head over and over again.

She smiled discreetly when her eyes fell upon the scene where the young girl of the story, Jenifer, says goodbye to her loved one, Mark. First when her eyes read further the smile slowly faded.

She read the part in question loud in her mind

"_Jenifer and Mark shares a passionate kiss"_

She held her breath, slowly directing her eyes towards Ulquiorra who was still sitting at his working space.

A kiss… She could have figured that out just by the main theme being romance but…

As she slowly sat up in the couch she tried to think the situation through.

On one side she was scared that Ulquiorra would tell her to abandon the role if he knew of the kiss and on the other site, if she chose not to tell him, it would certainly be very ugly if he found out about the scene from another source.

"Ulquiorra?"

She asked, slowly bowing her head when he uttered a small 'Mmm?' not turning against her, still eyes stiffly staring at the laptops screen in front of him.

"There's a scene in the manuscript…"

He uttered another small 'Mmm?' only adding to the feeling of being slightly ignored.

"A scene including a… kiss"

….

No 'Mmm' could be heard this time – just silence.

------------------

Ulquiorra slowly turned his head to look at her, his eyes more confused than usual.

"Of course it's gonna be a completely professional kiss!"

She quickly said, only making his thoughts drift that further to the possibilities of the kiss not being so professional again.

He held his cool, trying to hide the slow sneaking feeling of jealousy. After all he wouldn't try to ruin her first big role in a play - especially when she seemed so endlessly happy for getting the role.

It was not the time to be selfish.

"Of course"

He murmured, his eyes lingering softly at her – he didn't liked it, at all!

"Do your best"

All he received from this comment was a slightly confused look from Inoue who apparently could feel how he held the growing emotions back - just the thought of someone holding Inoue in a romantic way made him feel sick, and even though he knew it was wrong he saw her as 'his!'

Not in the form of property or in the form of a thing he could show the world he owned, but in the form of a being he loved and cared for with both mind and body.

And therefore he would never share her. Her love wasn't something that could be shared after all, either it was completely his or it was someone else's. No middle way.

A small smile formed across his lips to reassure Inoue that it was okay for her to do the kiss and even though his smile only seemed to enforce her disbelief she didn't spoke any words concerning it.

He slowly turned around in his chair again, sharp green eyes back at the laptops screen even though the eyes refused to focus.

She was addicting to say the least. Every part of her body was intoxicating… everything including the long red hair, the deep gray eyes, the way her body curved in the most exquisite ways, and most of all her lips - the lips he had such a hard time surrendering to someone else.

He kept trying to convince himself that it was only her body, not the mind. It was not her smiles, her loving words or the feelings they had for each other the actor would get.

It was only the body. Only the body…

He was immediately thrown out of his thoughts when he felt 2 arms fall against his shoulders, before gently embracing him – the familiar feeling of Inoue's warmth could be felt.

"Don't worry… you're the only one for me"

His head hanged lower than usual as she leant closer to him, making her long red hair fall around his shoulders and entangling his senses with the scent of honey – the shampoo they both used.

Her words relaxed him a bit, but only to the extent of making his thoughts drift elsewhere.

He quickly turned around in his chair embracing her before she got the chance to say anymore.

While gently caressing her head he inched closer to her, and when she only seemed to comply he allowed their lips to meet.

He kissed her for what seemed like minutes - Gentle, caring, lovingly, nipping at every inch of her lips to taste and mark! The place where he knew someone else would soon be.

"I want to be there at the performance"

* * *

"Oh Mark, you mustn't leave me"

Orihime raised her hands in a dramatic way to show her grief – she turned around placing her hands at her chest.

"The war will only kill you! Do you really want to throw your life away like that?"

In front of her stood a completely blank Ulquiorra, wearing one of their best pots on his head to symbolize a helmet and a soup spoon in his hand in a terrible attempt to symbolize a machine gun.

She almost had a harder time not to laugh than to remember her lines. After all she had been the one to force the props on him, with the justification that it was necessary for the scene.

To be completely true to herself she just wanted to see if he would comply with her ridiculous request.

Ulquiorra lifted his hand to look at his lines.

"Don't grief for me… Jenifer… I will be back when the war… is over"

His words were blank and emotionless only adding to her growing amusement.

She knew he would be the worst actor ever, but since he was the only person she could practice her lines with she had no choice than to use him… and get a good laugh in the process.

Even when she laughed and made fun of his horrible acting skills, the kissing scene still lingered in the back of her head.

She noticed how Ulquiorra had tensed when she mentioned it, becoming abnormally quiet for a long time.

She was not so fond of the whole kissing scene either. She saw it as a professional kiss with a professional actor in a professional environment… But Ulquiorra's tense response made her more nervous, forcing her to think about the hidden possibilities in it.

What if she couldn't do it? What if she suddenly broke the kiss because it was too uncomfortable to kiss someone else than Ulquiorra?

She automatically sighed, while trying to keep up her practice with Ulquiorra at the same time.

The fact that he wanted to be there at the performance didn't exactly helped on her feeling of cheating on him. If he had just acted completely relaxed that feeling wouldn't have been there.

Because it wasn't some sort of physical cheating… was it?

"Inoue?"

She blinked her eyes when she was thrown out of her thoughts by Ulquiorra's voice.

Slowly shaking her head as an apology she threw the manuscript at the dinner table

"Sorry, we must continue another time"

---------------

"Orihime, This is Daniel, he is gonna play mark in the play"

Orihime shook the taller man's hand while she returned his smile in a rather shy manner.

He looked nothing like the type she had imagined him to be. He was a bit taller than Ulquiorra she could tell that much, his hair was short and blond making an outstanding contrast to his deep brown eyes and while he seemed slim she could tell he was trained underneath the black shirt he was wearing.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Orihime"

He held her hand before she even got the chance to refuse, kissing her hand lightly.

She cleared her throat, not liking the unnecessary physical contact he was making.

He smiled widely, his deep brown eyes analyzing every feature of her face and body – a very normal thing to do between actors.

"The pleasure is on my side"

She murmured cautiously slowly turning away as if to create a gap between them. She would prefer that he was a complete bastard instead of the friendly and polite man Daniel appeared to be.

If that was the case, she could never see the kiss as a twisted way of cheating. More like a forced part of her carrier as an actor….

But he seemed nice and open, eagerly asking in to her life as if they had been friends forever.

"Oh, so this is your first big role? Don't worry; the first time is always the hardest but after that it all becomes much easier"

She nodded slowly, forced to smile again when he sent her a soft smile.

"You seem distant, is something bothering you?"

His words making her head jerk upwards to look at him in wonder. Not so much because of his words, she had after all always been easy to read, but because he continued to be so nice with her.

Weren't actors supposed to be professional with each other?

She sighed slowly, falling to the temptation of letting him have a piece of her mind.

"I'm just nervous about the… kissing scene"

He tilted his head slightly; his smile growing even wider if that was even possible.

"Oooh? You have a boyfriend at home?"

She nodded, forcing her eyes to look down at the floor, feeling embarrassed by admitting her flaw to him – even though he seemed pretty unaffected by it.

"Just close your eyes and imagine I'm him"

…

How could she possibly do that?

-----------

The day for her big performance inched closer and every day the little bulge of nerves grew in her stomach.

She had been at all rehearsals, doing pretty good at her lines and got praised for her emotions when acting, but the kiss was still an unfinished chapter.

When the kissing scene was brought up for practice she dodged it by saying she had a cold, and that she wouldn't risk infecting Daniel too.

Apparently it worked.

Days felt like minutes and before she got the chance to look around the day had arrived.

As she and Ulquiorra walked down the long and seemingly endless rows of chairs to his seat, she felt like it would have helped her more if she had just tried to kiss Daniel once before the real performance - instead of having the feeling of uncertainty lingering In the back of her head.

"Good luck"

She smiled a faint smile, too burdened and nervous to smile sincerely.

He bowed a bit, gently lifting her chin and giving her a quick kiss before pulling back again. Or he would have pulled back if it wasn't because Orihime grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back into a deep kiss - that kind of kiss that lovers only shared when alone.

She felt how he held back in the beginning, not exactly encouraging the kiss… But as she still held the kiss, desperate to feel him reply, he succumbed to her, replying the kiss lovingly.

Even when people looked at them with wonder and walked past them to get to their seats they continued. Continued to taste each other as if it was the last kiss they would ever share.

When Ulquiorra finally broke the kiss, leaving Orihime slightly disappointed he gently whispered to her in an attempt to reassure her.

"A mere kiss will not be a problem for you"

**A/N: **_Fear the endless streak of my writing-disease! xD _

_Don't expect the next chapter right away But I'll still hurry up and write whenever my assignments allow me to ^^ Reviews are appreciated as usual_


	4. The Bitter Taste of Love

**Chapter 4: "The bitter taste of love"**

**A/N: **_Hello x) Sorry about the late update – if you checked my profile you would be aware of the massive amounts of homework that ate (and is still eating) most of my spare time._

_I wondered about this chapter for a long time, keeping in mind that I wanted to continue with more chapters after this one. You have good reason to look forward to chapter 5. It's __**not**__ gonna be pretty xD_

_Enjoy reading ^^_

She blinked her eyes a couple of times, nervously tripping from side to side as she looked out from the curtain. The hall was almost full, only a few seats in the back were still empty, and people had gradually grown silent by a simple piece of information – the performance would start soon.

Orihime was wearing her 'costume' already, a white frilled dress showing a good amount of cleavage and black high-heeled shoes she already felt sore from walking around in. To top it all off with, they gave her an expensive looking necklace to wear - Supposedly made of silver and with a red gemstone as pendant.

She felt kind of weird. Not that she found the clothing ugly or anything, it was just too beautiful! She was more worried of ruining the white fabric of the dress than trying to walk in the ridiculous high-heeled shoes.

She once again allowed her eyes to wander around the audience from the safety of the big black curtain – Feeling how nervousness once again crawled up her spine.

What if she screwed herself up? What if she stumbled? What If she…

"Don't worry, you're gonna do great"

She turned to look at the owner of the voice. Daniel. She sent him a soft, rather forced smile, before even thinking about saying anything.

"But… there are so many possibilities of making a complete fool out of myself!"

She stated, waving her hands in the process to show her growing frustration. Maybe acting just wasn't her subject? After all, it only seemed to make her life more stressful and complicated than it already was.

A soft laugh could be heard from Daniel as he placed a hand at her head, padding her lightly.

"Don't worry!"

He repeated, while she instantly puffed her cheeks up to show that she did not liked the whole 'padding thing' she was receiving from him – it only made her feel like some sort of pet.

"You look so beautiful right now that any mistakes you'll make are just gonna be forgotten in no time"

…

Beautiful?

She blushed lightly as a reflex, quickly turning around to hide her red cheeks from him.

The words she wanted to speak came out in small uneven breaths, and not even close to understandable, so she chose to just keep quiet.

While slowly making some distance between them and dodging his hand when he tried to pad her head once more, she lifted her feet and walked away from him – completely ignoring the confused look he was sending her.

Somehow she felt uncomfortable in his presence.

"It's almost time, get ready"

She inhaled a good amount of air as she followed the big black curtain while it was slowly pulled away to reveal the scene.

It was now. There was no way back. She just had to do it.

The spotlight hit her as she stepped out on the scene, a strange sensation spreading in her stomach as many hundred eyes were directed to her.

And even so, a special pair of eyes clearly stood out to her - the bright green eyes in the front row.

* * *

His eyes immediately found Orihime as she entered the stage with small insecure steps. And his jaw almost hit the floor.

Even though they had been together for a long time now, he felt like a young teenager in love once again when he saw her fragile figure standing completely exposed in the sharp spotlight -fragile but breathtakingly beautiful none the less.

The way her long red hair cascaded along her shoulders and the way the white frilled dress complimented the curves of her body to the extent that he almost felt jealous of the audience seeing her like that.

He slowly diverted his eyes from Orihime to notice that a lot of the male audience around him were practically drooling – not exactly helping the growing jealousy that slowly crawled up his spine.

But even so he endured it, quickly looking back at Orihime as if to seclude his eyes to just her and not the outside world.

He just had to keep in mind that he was the only one who could have her. Not the hungry eyes around him.

* * *

As the performance progressed and Orihime slowly got used to the many eyes on her and the bulge in her stomach got lessened her performance got better and she honestly felt great on the stage.

Not the fact that she had so many people's attention, but because the feeling of getting drawn into a fictional characters universe fascinated her - making her feel like a completely different person for just a couple of moments.

"I have to leave"

She gazed at the person in front of her – searching the brown depths of his eyes and desperately trying to express the deep feelings her character had towards the soldier in front of her. Daniel.

"You mustn't! The war will only kill you! I can't live without you!"

The words came out with much ease taking into consideration that she had been extremely nervous when she practiced them at home. After all, it had to be done with much more feeling than she thought her body could muster.

Daniel closed in on her - his tall figure invading her personal bubble in the process as he placed his hand at her cheek. She froze for a moment, feeling how his brown eyes were searching for something in return.

It was now. It had to be now.

She had an overwhelming need to divert her eyes form Daniel and look down at Ulquiorra instead. To see how he was taking the whole situation and to follow the advice that had been given to her – to imagine that Daniel was Ulquiorra.

She took a deep breath before tilting her head to the site, trying to gather the courage to initiate the fateful kiss that had haunted her for so long.

However, she never found the courage. Instead the pressure began to build up in her stomach again, and the horrible feeling of guilt towards Ulquiorra washed over her.

Small sobs played across her lips and her voice began to shake before she even had the chance to stop it – tears soon followed, running down her pale cheeks, messing up her stage make-up in the process.

"Don't cry for me… I will be back. I promise"

Her eyes widened. They had never practiced that line? Was he trying to save the scene?

In what seemed like a second Daniel bent down towards her and initiated the kiss that Orihime was supposed to initiate.

She felt how his arms wrapped themselves around her slim waist when she out of instinct was trying to pull away – the feeling of his lips making her tears spill completely.

Too many thoughts rushed through her head in that moment as she halfheartedly were trying to reply the kiss that was threatening to choke her.

It was not Ulquiorra…

-------------------

He had almost rushed up to the stage when Orihime began to cry.

The audience around him simply enjoyed her fabulous abilities as an actor, but Ulquiorra knew the truth after many hours of practicing with her.

That was not planned, and Orihime was indeed standing on the scene completely bared and crying her heart out.

He clawed his hands down into his lap as if to distract his mind from thinking too much. To stop the play would only make things worse… Deep down he just wanted to shove the unknown actor away and comfort Orihime until no more tears were spilled… but he knew that was not an option.

He couldn't do anything… and even though he had a burning need to just look away from the display in front of him he couldn't help but keep staring either.

Staring at Orihime, his! Orihime, while she gently replied a kiss from another guy.

He felt stupid for even feeling a little bit of jealousy at that moment. After all it was a simple theatrical kiss. There were no emotions. It was supposed to be 100% professional.

But even so a little detail was making the jealousy surface none the less.

Not the way Orihime replied the kiss, but the way the actor was running his hand through her long soft hair and the way he held her close by a grip around her waist.

It was too close. That wasn't supposed to be a necessity when making a professional kiss?!

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat when the kiss began to drag on for too long - or more precisely way too long for his taste. Maybe he shouldn't have insisted on coming?

His green eyes lingered at Orihime's face as her crying seemed to stop – at the same time the kiss was finally ended – much to Ulquiorra's relief.

However, before the dark descended upon the stage, he noticed how Orihime gazed down towards him with what could be perceived to be an apology in her gray eyes.

What was she apologizing for? Was this not what she wanted?

A deep sigh escaped his lips before he smiled softly to her.

_You're a moron sometimes… It's not your fault_

_-----------------_

They walked home in complete silence but none the less holding hands.

Orihime walking with her eyes at the ground, while the cold winds swept across her body – making her shiver once in a while.

She felt embarrassed, guilty, toady and most of all not worthy of the affectionate squeezes Ulquiorra gave her hand once in a while. She shouldn't have taken that role… not after what kind of feelings it had brought to her.

"You're alright?"

She jerked her head upwards when she heard his voice - her gray eyes neatly covered by her bangs.

"Ye-yes, I'm fine… thanks"

"You're sure?"

She blinked her eyes a couple of times by his quick remark.

A gentle smile adorned her lips as she finally looked up to meet his eyes completely

"No, I'm not sure"

* * *

When they entered their apartment everything escalated very fast.

At one moment they were simply taking their jackets off, and in the next moment they were over each other as if they hadn't been together in eternities.

If it wasn't because Orihime had been the one to initiate the intimacy, Ulquiorra would never have done it in the first place.

Not because he did not want to, that would be a big fat lie, but simply because he thought she would prefer to be alone after what happened.

Orihime tugged impatiently at his shirt when he seemed to stop for a moment – making him quickly grab her by the waist, lifting her slightly from the ground and walk backwards so Orihime's back eventually hit the kitchen's wall.

He was just gazing at her for a moment – gazing at the beautiful woman in front of him who was practically begging him to continue.

Before he got the chance to react to her impatience however, Orihime had already put her hands at the back of his head and pulled him down into a deep kiss – a kiss that made his mind drift back to the kiss Orihime and Daniel had shared.

Because of this he replied her kiss more demanding than he thought he would do – pushing her further towards the wall behind her so their bodies were closer.

She did not seem to mind but simply allowed her fingers to dance across the back of his neck while eagerly enjoying his actions.

Maybe he was just a bit paranoid but the smell of the actor from earlier still lingered at certain parts of her bodies… Making him a bit uneasy but still only enforcing his need to claim her once again. Take her back.

"I'm sorry…"

She suddenly murmured as he allowed his fingers to wander down until they found the edge of her skirt. He felt how she shivered slightly when he teasingly ran his fingers down one of her thighs.

"You have nothing to apologize for"

He whispered calmly back as he gave her a very short kiss of reassurance.

"It was not your fault…"

His words were cut short when he moved down to the crook of her neck, kissing the warm skin when she allowed the access he needed. Because of how close their bodies were, he felt every small shiver her body made.

_Ring_

He continued to caress the top of her thighs, pretty much undisturbed, when the sound of the doorbell rang through the apartment.

"There's someone… at the door…"

She murmured between harsh breaths.

"Let it ring"

The doorbell rang again shortly afterwards – making Ulquiorra sigh in annoyance.

"It could be important…"

Much to Ulquiorra's discomfort he slowly removed himself from Orihime and the comfortable warmth of her body. He was amazed at how great timing the ringing had been.

Without any further words he walked to the door, and opened it with a somewhat grumpy attitude towards the slightly taller guy that stood at their doorstep.

He seemed strangely familiar… but he chose to just brush the feeling off

"We're not interested in buying anything"

But before Ulquiorra had the chance to close the door once again he was stopped by Orihime's voice and the feeling of her hand at his arm - clearly a sign for him to wait.

"Daniel?"

**A/N: **_Hope you enjoyed the chapter *Cliffhanger Cliffhanger* xD_

_Reviews make me happy so please tell me what you think of the story so far ^^_


	5. the Intruder

**Chapter 5: "The Intruder"**

**A/N:** _Okay, my vacation is close now and I'm really looking forwards to just lie down and do absolutely __**nothing**__! xD + possibly update different chapters faster than what I'm capable of right now (Even though this chapter was done pretty quickly o.o) Enjoy Chapter 5 ^^_

"Daniel? What are you doing here?"

Ulquiorra did not even flinch by Inoue's words when he finally realized who was standing in front of him - The very subject of his growing jealousy.

His green eyes first noticed the bouquet of red roses now and the uncomfortableness Daniel was showing because of the unfriendly 'welcoming' he apparently had received from him. Therefore the roses were now hanging over Daniel's head in an attempt to redeem himself to the grumpy male in front of him.

"Oh? Orihime-Chan! I thought I had entered the wrong apartment"

Daniel scratched the back of his head in a rather uncomfortable way but none the less smiling – and much to Ulquiorra's displease avoiding his gaze.

"I bought the roses for you as congratulation on finishing your role, but somehow it doesn't feel right to give them right now"

He quickly glanced at Ulquiorra to state his point followed by a little grin.

Ulquiorra looked rather coldly at Daniel when the grin appeared – not happy at all about the sudden unannounced visit

"I'm Daniel, I was working with Orihime in tonight's play, I'm not sure if you was there watching"

Daniel smiled cautiously when all he met was a pair of cold green eyes – and with good reason, Ulquiorra was not showing any sign what so ever of accepting the young male in his apartment… and especially not when that male had the intention of giving Inoue roses.

However, Before Ulquiorra could speak loud about his thought of the surprising visit, Orihime stood between them – taking the roses from Daniel.

He did not like it… at all!

"Please… come in Daniel, you're gonna get sick if you keep standing out there"

Daniel followed Orihime inside the apartment while Ulquiorra's cold gaze was literally stuck to the new intruder. No matter how much he wanted to prohibit the visit, he somehow felt like it was not reasoned yet. Daniel had made her cry and made her kiss him… but… that was all a part of his job. And no matter how much he just wanted to find a good reason to push the intruder right out the door again, he could not find a valid reason to do this - other than a bad feeling about him.

"Please, sit down, you must be cold"

Orihime gently said, while Ulquiorra followed every move Daniel made as he sat down at their couch – Another smile from the intruder made his bad feelings enforce even more.

"Thank you, I presume the young man is your boyfriend"

* * *

Orihime nodded slowly to his question - putting the bouquet of roses on the little table in front of them.

She somehow felt more comfortable around Daniel now… The thought of the play and kissing scene still lingered in her head, but none the less she could not find any reason to be rude.

After all, he seemed reasonable enough and just more professional and skilled when it came to acting – she had experienced that very closely just a couple of hours ago, so why be mad at him because of that? After all he saved the scene?

"He doesn't seem very talkative"

Orihime diverted her gaze from Daniel by the question – following Ulquiorra with her eyes as he sat at his desk and turned on the laptop.

"I just think he is nervous because of your visit…"

She honestly murmured, not removing her gaze from Ulquiorra's back just yet. Sometimes he was very! hard to read, and that no matter how long they had stayed together. Especially in a situation like this, he seemed to close off completely even though he was raging inside. It was only natural… if a woman came with roses to visit Ulquiorra, she would…

What would she do …?

"Nervous? I'm not gonna hurt you"

Daniel's laughing returned her to reality – a little forced smile appearing on her lips by his words.

"So Daniel… what is your real reason to visit us at this time? I don't assume you just came to give me roses but…"

He blinked his eyes a couple of times by her question.

"Is it a crime to visit an actor you really liked to work with?"

Orihime felt stupid for even asking such a question… but somehow, she was not used to people visiting her 'just for the sake of it'. Especially not when that someone was a skilled actor that probably had better things to do than visit a newbie like her.

"No, I'm sorry for asking"

She laughed a bit in an attempt to loosen up the mood.

Silence quickly filled the room – only the small clicking noises from Ulquiorra's keyboard could be heard.

…

"Would you like some tea?"

* * *

Ulquiorra immediately reacted when the word 'tea' was mentioned – his green eyes not drifting from the laptops screen however.

In normal circumstances he would have insisted on making the tea. Simply because he, of all people, was very! Well aware of Inoue's abilities when it came to cooking.

And a simple task as making tea also fell under the category 'cooking' when it came down to Orihime.

He couldn't help but smile a bit as Inoue walked past him and out in the kitchen to prepare the tea – waiting in anticipation for her to finish what later would be called 'tea'.

_I hope we have more garlic left for her to use…_

* * *

"Sorry for making you wait"

Orihime placed the cup of tea in Daniel's hand with a somewhat brighter smile. It had been ages since she was the one to make anything edible to a guest because normally Ulquiorra would rush in and do the cooking before she had the chance to protest.

It felt kind of suspicious from time to time…

Daniel moved the cup to his mouth – gently blowing at the tea in an attempt to cool it off.

"No problem, but I have to say that you were absolutely stunning in that particular scene"

The cup was moved to his mouth in a swift movement – a fair amount of the fluid poured down his throat.

Orihime looked with wonder in her gray eyes as Daniel made a stifled expression and swallowed the 'tea' in one quick 'gulp'.

"Is it good?!"

She exclaimed with a big smile on her lips.

Daniel choked a couple of times with tears in his eyes – clearly trying to maintain his cool.

"It's… spicy?"

He laughed, clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation and therefore earning a small withdrawn laugh from Ulquiorra in 'victory'.

Orihime frowned towards Ulquiorra when he laughed at Daniel's misfortune, before turning towards Daniel again - a big naive smile adoring the tip of her lips.

"Yes it is, I put a fair amount of chili in to brighten up the dull flavor"

Daniel, seemingly more nervous than ever, put the cup of 'tea' away on the table but refrained from commenting negative on the… 'Special' taste.

"So… to change the subject Orihime, have you ever considered doing commercials or the likes?"

Orihime tilted her head to the side, looking at Daniel with wonder in her gray eyes. So that was his hidden reason for coming… or?

"No not really, I've always searched for roles in theatrical plays or movies, but never commercials"

She honestly answered while slowly sipping at her own tea – apparently not affected by the extremely strong taste or the little smile Daniel was sending her.

"I have… connections… in that industry… and I would like to share them with you"

Orihime noticed how his voice was lower than before, and how he began to smile wider. Not alarming, but none the less a change that even Orihime could see.

Even so, it seemed weird that he suddenly had to whisper like that?

"That sounds nice of…"

However she did not finish her sentence when she felt a hand at her thigh. Not the familiar feeling of Ulquiorra's hand – no, this hand was much warmer and certainly seemed like an intrusion rather than something she would welcome.

She followed Daniels hand with her eyes as it wandered higher. She wanted to remove the hand, but somehow she froze by sheer lack of vigor and courage.

Had she really learned to fear him after what happened on the stage?

"But… I would like something in return..."

It only took her brain a couple of seconds before the hidden meaning of his words became clear to her and, In the lack of greater determination, simply tried to remove his hand while gently shaking her head

The way too warm hand, however, quickly found her thigh once again - this time wandering higher than what she found comfortable.

"Don't worry… it's gonna be between the two of us… your boyfriend is not gonna know a thing…"

Before Orihime had the opportunity to react, the intruding hand was shoved away and Ulquiorra stood hovering over Daniel with eyes that were close to the most emotional she had ever seen them be – one clear emotion showing: rage.

Without any words from Ulquiorra he grabbed Daniel by the shirt and forced him up to a standing position in one swift movement – away from the couch and Orihime.

"Do you think I'm completely deaf?"

Ulquiorra's words were low and cold, sending shivers down Orihime's spine – It was the first time she had experienced him like that and certainly not a comfortable addition to her already confused and scared mind.

"Calm down! It was just a friendly suggestion, you should just be happy that I'm ready to share my contacts with her"

He laughed quietly, apparently trying to avoid the whole situation.

A loud 'crash' resounded through the apartment as Ulquiorra shoved Daniel backwards and accidentally pushed the tea cup off the table in the process.

"You're sure you want to repeat that to me?"

Ulquiorra asked when Daniel was pushed up the nearest wall –not worried about the broken cup what so ever.

Orihime, pretty much in shock by the whole situation, stared at the broken cup before lifting her gaze to Ulquiorra and Daniel who seemed to have frozen – simply staring at each other, though Daniel's gaze seemed to waver once in a while.

Trying to save his last pride he silently murmured;

"Calm down.. It was just… -"

Another sharp sound resounded, but this time it was created by Ulquiorra's fist as it crashed through Daniel's jaw – earning a half muffled scream of pain from the otherwise composed actor.

Orihime quickly covered her ears when the horrible sound of something breaking resounded – tears flowing down her cheeks when the harsh reality was brought down upon her.

She had never Seen Ulquiorra be violent like that. Never! The glint in his eyes making her more scared than Daniel had done with his actions earlier.

Shaking her head violently as if to signalize them to stop, another fist was brought upon Daniel's jaw again – this time earning a wholeheartedly cry of pain as Daniel began to grow limp against the wall.

"Please… stop…"

Orihime whispered, her voice getting caught halfway through her throat.

She couldn't take it… No matter how much anger Ulquiorra felt it did not justify what he was doing. It hurt her more than it could possibly help her, so why wouldn't he stop?

Violence only brings more violence.

With tears streaming down her pale cheeks she forced herself to stand up and grab the nearest jacket she could find, Ulquiorra's, before rushing towards the door.

She just couldn't take anymore… She was too weak and scared to stop them. She just needed to get away. Get away from the extreme chaos that had been born out of her mere presence.

As she passed Ulquiorra while heading for the door out, he caught her eyes - a lightly confused expression in his deep green eyes.

"Inoue..?"

She slammed the door, rushing down the street with the way too big jacket clinging to her small body – trying to forget the situation from earlier but only enforcing her need to cry it all out.

The snow was falling.

* * *

Ulquiorra stopped his actions when he met Inoue's eyes on her way to the door.

Tears… she was crying…

A deep sigh escaped his lips before he slowly released the terrified actor that had been so firmly in his grip.

The moment of his release Daniel began to take insecure steps towards the door – sending small untrusting gazes towards Ulquiorra when he came closer and closer to the exit.

Apparently too scared to say anymore he rushed out the door, leaving Ulquiorra with the ever haunting sound of silence.

She was… crying…

With a small 'thumb' he fell down onto the nearest kitchen chair – his long bangs slowly hiding the empty green eyes.

What had he done…?

**A/N: **_Conflict, conflict, conflict. Sorry to those of you who hoped for a constant happy mood xD Review, review, review! ^^ They make me keep writing_


	6. A Drunk Woman’s Logic

**Chapter 6: "A Drunk Woman's Logic"**

**A/N:** _And my vacation is finally here! ^^ *Dancing*_

_It feels really nice to just sit down and write without thinking about assignments all the time. So now I'm just sitting with some good music playing through my headphones a big glass of soda at my side xD – no worries what so ever _

_Oh, you probably don't care about my A/N so let's just carry on with the chapter xD Enjoy ^^_

The snow was falling, softly landing on every inch of Orihime's body as she rushed through the streets.

To shield her from the cold weather, a big dark green jacket was hanging on her shoulders – the length of the jacket almost reaching to the start of her knees.

Why did he like his clothing so big?

She huffed slowly when she felt how another wave of warm tears glided down her soft cheeks – strangely making her a bit warmer.

She felt dizzy, sick, and most of all confused. Confused to the extent that she considered to just lie down in the snow and sleep for a moment. Sleep from it all… and maybe hope that when she opened her eyes once again everything would be okay. Ulquiorra would be back to his calm self and Daniel would still just be an actor who did everything professional.

Leaning her body against a random building, she allowed her eyes to close if just for a moment.

Feeling how her mind began to drift. Drift into the small gap between reality and sleep.

All she needed was sleep…

* * *

With caution, Ulquiorra began to gather the glass shards from the floor – his eyes more empty than they usually were.

At first he had thought about running after Orihime, simply because he wanted to explain himself and make sure she was okay. After all, he saw the tears in her eyes when she chose to ran away…

He wanted to comfort her. Hold her and reassure her that everything was okay now… even though that would be a big fat lie. He knew he had messed up big time, and that he probably couldn't completely justify what he had done.

And even so he never regretted it. That piece of trash had deserved it more than anyone could possibly deserve anything – no matter how much Orihime would try to convince him that violence was not the way to solve a problem.

After all it hadn't been about solving a problem… no, it was a matter of protecting her from unwanted hands and uncomfortable words… and to protect and shield the most precious person in his life. Words would never be enough to protect her in that kind of situation.

His eyes slowly drifted to the door for a moment, his gaze lingering there for a long time before drifting once again to the big clock that hang close to their kitchen table.

It would soon become dark outside…

He tried to ignore the burning desire to go out and find her by repeating to himself that she probably needed the time alone.

After all, no matter what he had to say, it wouldn't make that much of a difference. His actions had spoken pretty clearly for him, and he couldn't find a real reason to apologize his action. Except for one crucial fact…

His actions made her cry.

---------------

"Seconds!"

Orihime yelled across the room – a mug of some alcoholic liquid in front of her. The small bubbles and the pink color would have made her inner alarms ring long ago if it wasn't because the nice bartender had recommended the drink to her.

She had found herself seek to the comfortable warmth of the bar when the winds outside began to grow stronger and colder – making it impossible for her to simply slump in the streets. This fact put together with the friendly personality of the bartender, made her drown her need to cry with the pink liquid in front of her and the understanding words from a larger male that had taken place beside her.

"Ouch, that doesn't sound very comfortable"

The bartender laughed when he handed her another mug of the unknown liquid. How many she had drunk had slipped her mind. After all she stopped counting after the 4th glass.

"The poor guy did not deserve something like that… he was probably just confused and looking for love since no one wanted to give it to him…"

She raised her mug while frowning lightly.

"So that was maybe why he acted so directly… and then Ulquiorra just freaked out like that and hit him, when he could just have nicely told him that I was not interested"

She laughed slightly as her head began to feel heavier, the words just slipping out of her mouth one by one.

"He overreacted…"

No matter how serious her words were she simply smiled it all away while waving her hands in the air – nearly falling off the small bar chair she was sitting on when leaning slightly back in the process.

"But you know… he is probably just jealous!"

She exclaimed, not worrying about the fact that the bartender seemed to just listen once in a while, and not all the time. To talk with herself was, after all, not a problem she was concerned with in her current state.

"Jealous because he wanted to keep me all to himself!"

The slightly larger man beside her turned against her by these words, laughing loudly while clasping Orihime rather hard at her back in an attempt to be friendly.

"Men! They're all the same! You're gonna see that eventually. All they want is to peel your clothing off… one by one"

The man's clasp nearly sent Orihime down with her face first into the bar's table, but she managed to shield it off with her hands before any accidents happened.

Just laughing with the larger man, she shook her head violently to show that she disagreed with his statement.

"No no, Ulquiorra is totally different"

She took another sip of her drink before continuing her rambling – glad that at least someone! was listening.

"He is not peeling my clothing off, because I'm helping him most of the time"

She laughed – blinking her eyes a couple of times when her eyes began to waver slightly. Apparently the alcohol was starting to really make its impact on her.

"You know, there was this one time in kitchen where we…"

------------------

"Inoue!?"

Ulquiorra's strong green eyes analyzed the dark corners of the bar.

He had been at 4 other places - all pretty much occupied by big males in all ages, seeking an escape from their miserable life's. Therefore it didn't feel right for him to find her in such a place – and certainly not slumping across the bar table as if she was accustomed to go out and drink.

She looked up at him with drowsy eyes when she finally recognized his voice – a wide smile adoring her lips.

"Ulquiorra… Darling… we were just talking about you"

He uttered a deep sigh of relief at seeing her mixed with the dissatisfaction of experiencing her in a drunken state once again – the same reason why they never went out to drink together. Reason 1; because he never really found joy in drinking, Reason 2; because Inoue couldn't hold her liquor and 3; because she always woke up with a terrible hangover the next day

From what he could see that hangover would probably be terrible to say the least…

"Don't you think it's about time you came home and got some sleep?"

His words only earned a small giggle from her as she leaned backwards towards him – her long red hair cascading along her back.

"But I'm not tired, and I still have a drink left!"

He shook his head slowly before grabbing her wrist with more determination than he usually would show in public.

"You're not even allowed to be drinking, you know that?"

Inoue laughed once again – but even so following willingly as he pulled her away from the bar.

"Aaaw, but you're allowed to aren't you? Can't you be my guardian then?"

He felt how she traced the palm of his hand with her fingers as they walked towards the exit – but none the less he ignored this - after all, his primary objective was to leave the bar at once and not to let himself get caught in a drunk woman's words.

Because of his silence, Inoue caught his hand completely while she followed after him.

The way home was long, filled with questions and quick answers.

However, not one word was uttered of the situation – the situation that was the real criminal to why Inoue had searched for a bar in the first place.

That could be taken care of later…

Now was not the time.

-------------------

"You're sooo boring!"

She complained loudly when Ulquiorra had chosen to serve a glass of water to her instead of the bottle of wine she so neatly had pointed out for him.

"What can one more glass do?!"

She felt slightly disappointed that Ulquiorra had placed her at their couch when they returned home – not showing any sign of wanting to talk with her.

When she did not get an answer once again, but simply a strict gaze she just laughed while stretching her body in a small attempt to make him get more interested in her.

At least more interested than he seemed to be at the moment.

"If you're not gonna give me anymore I'll just keep peeling my clothing off until you give it to me"

She sent Ulquiorra a challenging gaze which only earned a stoic look in return.

Determined to show that she meant business she put her hands down to the edge of her skirt while allowing her fingers to run down her hips seductively – grabbing at each side of the skirt when she finally got his attention completely.

"You think I'm gonna change my mind because of that?"

He asked in a somewhat neutral tone, not even moving slightly from the chair he had placed himself at.

Even though his words were pretty clear she felt like it would be possible for her to change his mind. Especially if she reminded herself of the words the larger man in the bar had spoken.

"Probably not… but…"

The skirt began to glide down her thighs in such a way that she knew! He couldn't ignore it completely.

"I hope you will just… consider it"

She laughed softly before leaving the couch and heading for Ulquiorra instead – her gray eyes not leaving his for even a moment while she tried to walk straight across the floor and not accidently bump into anything on her way.

When she came close enough to him, she placed her hands at his neck and ran her fingers softly against his skin in hopes of getting a reaction from him.

"Why are you so boring all of a sudden? It isn't like you"

She followed his eyes as he very quickly gazed at her. Not her eyes but her body which she immediately took as a reaction.

"Why did you beat Daniel up like that if you didn't want me?"

She felt how her head got heavier and how the small memories from earlier returned to her. But since her logic wasn't the best when influenced by alcohol she just began to ramble like what she had done at the bar.

"He didn't deserve it, but if you promise to be nice in the future…"

She was cut off when she felt how Ulquiorra's hands were placed at her waist.

But apparently not in the way Orihime had perceived it to be. Instead of encouraging her actions as she had hoped for, he rose from his chair and began to push her backwards – his eyes stiff.

-------------------

Her words hit him hard even though he chose not to show it. The mere fact that she still spoke about the fateful encounter with Daniel in her drunken state just showed how much the subject was lingering in her mind.

Usually she would just talk about more alcohol and their relationship before falling asleep – once in a while trying to lure him into intimacy.

But because he knew it was mainly brought from the alcohol he never had sex with her in such moments. He would just feel like he was taking advantage of her which he not exactly needed to do in their relationship.

"You're so boring!"

She repeated giggling when he placed her at their bed – quickly moving closer to her since he knew it would be uncomfortable for her to sleep in her remaining clothes.

Her reaction was as he had predicted. As he tugged at her shirt to get it off she moved closer to him in an attempt to make their bodies meet and possibly lure him into temptation.

However he did not mind even though he was very! attracted to her. of course he was attracted to her. but he was able to control himself in crucial moments. After all, now was not exactly the best time for them to have 'make-up-sex' no matter how much Inoue wanted to.

A disappointed huff could be heard from Inoue when he gently placed her on the bed, now in her underwear, before pulling the sheets over her body – the situation not exactly pleasing her.

"You need sleep"

He stated calmly when Orihime began to move restlessly in the bed – apparently she was not stupid enough to try and defy him by leaving the bed.

It was gonna be a loooong night, but he knew that before very long she would fall asleep - the alcohol in her blood only enforcing her need for sleep before very long.

"You're unfair… I'm not a child so how can you choose when I'll go to sleep?"

She buried her head in her pillow – muffling most of the words leaving her mouth.

"Sleep"

He repeated slowly, well knowing that striking a conversation with her would only make her chances of falling asleep worse.

Before long it worked and Orihime's words began to whither and her restless movements disappearing – only to be replaced by her even breathing filling the rom.

He just sat at the bed for a long time, taking her in with his eyes.

No matter how he looked at her, he could still sense the slight red color of her cheeks and the puffiness of her eyes which had been brought forth from her earlier crying.

She was home, and even though the real problem still remained he just pushed it into the back of his mind for a moment. Allowing himself to just delude in the belief that everything would be okay and that his loved one would understand instead of shunning his actions.

Rather absent minded he ran the tip of his fingers through Inoue's bangs one last time before leaving the bedroom - to sleep in the same bed as her would, after all, only create more complications so he intended to sleep on the couch that night.

However, before getting ready to sleep as well he moved to his laptop, reading the first lines of his new chapter before quickly shutting it down.

'_How can a loveless creature express love?' _

**A/N: **Reviews are appreciated ^^


	7. Taking in Deep Breaths

**Chapter 7: "Taking in deep breaths"**

**A/N:** _Christmas is closing in on us!_

_Therefore I'm gonna say merry Christmas to all you guys out there in case I'll not make the new update before the 24__th__/25__th__ ^^ (In Denmark we celebrate Christmas on the 24__th__)_

_Enjoy the new chapter ^^_

Ulquiorra was sitting in his usual spot at the computer, eyes wavering slightly at the screen when he heard small noises coming from the bedroom where he knew Inoue was still sleeping.

Because of the unfortunate events that had followed them recently, Ulquiorra had fallen waaay back on his new chapter – resulting in no sleep.

Normally Inoue would never allow him to sit up and write the whole night – but because she was in her drunken 'condition' she slept as a stone and never really noticed that he refrained from coming to bed – or sleep on their couch as his original plan had been.

Slowly raising his hands above his head he stretched and gazed backwards towards their bedroom door.

He really wanted to sort things out with Inoue today, but he somehow felt like it would be difficult of only end in more unneeded discussions.

After all, he had no intention of apologizing for his actions. Daniel had crossed the line and he got exactly what was deserved and expected – how could she blame him for that? Would she be happier if he simply had shoved him out of the door and then waited for him to come and propose the same offer once again?

He sighed, rather distressed by his thoughts while he left his computer, heading for the kitchen where he prepared a cup of tea and 2 white pills.

Then he moved towards the bedroom – opening the door carefully in case Inoue was still sleeping.

He somehow felt like a hypocrite when he got closer to their bed and gazed at the beautiful woman that was soundly sleeping – her body slightly hugging the crooked sheets as if she was seeking some kind of comfort.

While he had send her pretty bluntly in bed the other night, he had been sitting at his computer writing without getting any sleep what so ever. Was he really the one to decide if it was time for her to go to bed or not?

He placed the cup of tea at the little table next the Inoue's side of the bed, before gently placing himself at the edge of the bed – gazing at her when she seemed to notice his presence by mumbling and shifting so the sheets covered her body completely once again.

"Inoue?"

He called softly in hope of not waking her too sudden.

"It's 2 PM"

He listened closely when she hummed by the sound of his voice – hiding her head under the bed sheets when she apparently knew what was coming.

"Isn't it time to wake up?"

He stood up when she didn't' react, pulling at the sheets in hopes of getting to see her face. Not so much because he wanted to wake her up and expose her, no that was more like a bad excuse, his true motive was to see if she felt sick.

She squeezed her eyes close together when the faint light that originated in the living room shun on her face – making it impossible for Ulquiorra to conclude if she felt sick or if it was simply the drowsy feeling most people experienced when suddenly woken up.

"You're feeling alright?"

He asked softly, brushing a long lock of her red hair away from her face when she muttered something he couldn't quite understand.

"My head… feels like… lead"

She mumbled, grabbing for the sheet when noticing that it was gone.

A silent sigh escaped Ulquiorra's lips before he handed Inoue the 2 pills that he had brought earlier – not muttering a word.

Somehow he still felt like they hadn't reconciled completely and it made him feel uneasy, especially because he didn't knew how to reconcile with her. He could and would not lie to her, so a simple apology wouldn't be an option. Explaining why he did it probably wouldn't bring him anywhere either - she knew why he had done it, and she probably wouldn't understand anyway – that part of their relationship often brought them the most problems.

They were like the complete opposite of the other, brought together by fate and in search of what the other had.

Inoue swallowed the 2 pills with a small gulp slowly lifting her gaze to his green eyes when he handed her the cup of tea.

Her eyes told him all he needed to know;

She was thinking about the events too.

---------------

"Thank you"

She whispered, noticing how Ulquiorra stared at her as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

Her head felt heavy and it felt like someone was about to rip a hole in her stomach mixed with an urgent need to just sleep some more.

Unintentionally avoiding Ulquiorra's gaze, she allowed her head to fell down to the pillow once again.

She could only remember small fragments from the evening and night before. How she had spoken with 2 persons at the bar about something she couldn't recall… how Ulquiorra came to get her… and then everything sort of slipped from her mind.

How much did she have to drink again?

Burying her face in the soft fabric of her pillow she forced herself to speak. To open up for the things she knew they both had a hard time to speak about – because even though most of the event from the evening and night before stood fogged in her mind, the episode with Daniel was crystal clear, begging to get out of her head.

"Ulquiorra"

She started weakly, lifting her head from the pillow in an attempt to be strong and actually try to meet him right on with the problem. Not like how she usually did – just avoiding the problem until it grew upon their relationship like a big old bruise. Not this time, there was no time for her to avoid conflicts like she used to do…. Not this time.

"I'm sorry that I reacted like I did yesterday… but your actions made me very upset"

She held her breath when the words had left her mouth, gazing at Ulquiorra's calm face when he seemed to wonder how to react or response to the sudden words.

Instead of waiting for some sort of reaction she continued to speak, faster than she had expected she would;

"I don't think he deserved what you did to him… Maybe I just sent him some wrong signals"

She noticed how Ulquiorra looked even more lost by her follow-up.

Slowly lowering her eyes she softly spoke – Somehow she felt like her words only worsened the situation.

"It was probably my own fault… I think he…"

----------------

"How can you even think like that!"

He exclaimed louder than he had originally intended, making Inoue's eyes direct at him – the nervousness and confusion she felt almost spilling out of her eyes at that moment.

But somehow he didn't cared this time… no matter how much he loved her, she seriously needed to wake up to the realities of life and if it had to be the hard way, so be it.

"That man wasn't interested one bit in what you spoke of, the only thing he could see was your body!"

He took a fistful of the bed sheets in his hand when he needed some sort of release from the anger that began to develop in his stomach once again.

Not waiting for Inoue to speak he simply continued – his green eyes searching her gray ones in an foolish attempt to see if she understood or if she still closed her eyes to the truth

"Did you really want me to ignore that? to just ignore the fact that someone was trying to take advantage of you being too naive?"

He ignored the slightly hurt and scared look Inoue was beginning to show… or rather, he tried not to care about it.

"What would have happened if I didn't react like I did? He could have brought it further, maybe brought some friends next time, do you really want that?"

He bit his lip slightly when Inoue broke their eye contact, gouging down into her hands – her long red hair cascading down her cheeks and hiding her expression for a moment

He was upset, mad, frustrated, and even so he halted for a moment. Something was wrong.

His beginning worry was only enforced as Inoue didn't stop to gouge, her back heaving from her uneven breathing and her voice hoarse as she tried to speak.

Before he could react however, Inoue rose from the bed while still gouging. Rushing across the floor Ulquiorra listened as she closed the bathroom door behind her followed by more gouging this time more violently.

She was throwing up…

At first he wanted to follow her to make sure she was okay, but he knew it was probably linked to her hangover so he chose not to disturb her – after all, he knew his presence only made things worse right at the moment…

Left to his own thoughts, he felt how silence swept across him – only broken once in a while by Inoue's gouging from the bathroom.

Was he overreacting?

---------------

Orihime slowly lifted her head from the sink, her face shown in the mirror when she found the courage to look at herself.

Her face was flushed, her gray eyes drowsy and her red hair slightly stuck to her cheeks as a result from the water she had refreshed herself with just a couple of minutes ago.

She felt awful… even more awful than she usually did when experiencing hangovers and that said a lot.

Ulquiorra's words had hit her hard and she cursed herself inwardly for not responding to him – no matter how sick she felt. She wanted to apologize, admit her fault and just go back to how they used to be.

Another wave of nausea poured over her, making her hang limply at the sink for a couple of moments – trying to hold the urge to vomit back.

Something was completely wrong… it wasn't like how she usually had hangovers.

Her womanly instincts whispered the reason to her, but somehow she managed to laugh it off. How could something like that even happen?

She brushed her teeth still with her thoughts lingering at the seemingly unthinkable explanation.

When she was done with brushing teeth she brushed her long red hair and continued in the routine she always took in the morning.

Bath, brush teeth, brush her hair, body lotion and then…

She lifted the little white package only to notice that it was empty.

…

How long had she forgotten to take them? It was first now when she thought back that she noticed the difference in her otherwise flawless routine, and how she must have completely forgotten to take them in a long period of time.

Was it because of her desperate search for a job that stressed her to the extent, that she could forget such an important thing?

And more importantly, how was she gonna deal with it?

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom, closing the door with a soft 'click' behind her.

--------------

Ulquiorra lifted his gaze from the floor the moment Inoue returned to him.

She looked better to say the least, but somehow she seemed concerned… Well it was understandable when he thought about how he had spoken to her earlier.

"I'm sorry Inoue… for earlier; I didn't mean to yell at you"

He said in a weak attempt to redeem himself to her, however, before he even got the opportunity to speak more he noticed the little white package that she was holding in her hands.

Not explaining anything, she walked towards him, placing the package in his hands – only enforcing his growing confusion.

Looking down at the package of birth control pills he noticed one crucial fact. It was empty, and soon afterwards Inoue's soft voice resounded in the room – helping him to put two and two together.

"I haven't taken them for a while now…"

His voice caught in the back of his throat by her words – making him completely forget their original 'problem' for a moment.

"… I might be pregnant"

**A/N: **_The bomb has been thrown! Reviews are appreciated as usual ^^_


	8. Beloved

**Chapter 8: "'Beloved'"**

**A/N:** _Okay here is an answer to one of my reviews ^^ It's surprising me that no one brought it up before now_

_Question: __why's ulquiorra calling her inoue? wasn't it supposed to be orihime? I mean they're boyfriend, girlfriend._

_Answer: Yes they are girlfriend and boyfriend, but because of me, wanting to keep just a little bit true to Ulquiorra's character, I chose that he should call her by family name. You know the whole thing with him calling her 'woman', I decided that just 'Inoue' would be a big step, so maybe he'll learn to say 'Orihime' sooner or later? X)_

_Enjoy the new chapter ^^_

His mind basically went completely numb at that moment.

… Pregnant?

The word looped in his head for what seemed like an eternity – leaving Inoue with a slightly nervous expression.

"I'm sorry… it must have been all the stress that made me forget to take them"

He took a deep breath, running his hands through his black hair in an attempt to collect his thoughts.

Pregnancy? Now of all times?

He was honestly confused whet ever it was such a good idea to stand with a baby at the moment., even though it was 'might pregnant'. He had intentions of spending the rest of his life with Inoue, and maybe get kids later on… but…

He sighed slowly, avoiding Inoue's gaze for a couple of seconds.

They were young. That was the biggest problem, plus the fact that they both were busy with jobs. On the economical front it wouldn't be much of a problem. Even though Inoue didn't have much of an income, he would be enough to support them all – mainly because his books was sold worldwide and he earned close to the double of what Orihime could ever make.

But… were they ready for such a thing?

Folding his hands he slowly muttered;

"What do you think… of all this?"

-------------------

She buried her hands in her lap, staring intensely at the white and black tiles under her feet.

Ulquiorra was sitting at her side – seemingly more relaxed than she were, even though she knew most of it was simply a façade he always wore.

They were at their local hospital, surrounded by all kinds of people waiting for their appointed time to arrive, and even though they had only waited for about 5 minutes, Orihime had already grown impatient.

When she and Ulquiorra had spoken about the possibility of pregnancy, they both agreed that it was best to find out if there even was a reason for their worry, after all, there was a possibility of her not being pregnant at all?

The thought crossed her mind for a second…

She would actually be a bit sad if that happened. She knew that having a child would bring a lot of complications to their life… but even so, that wasn't really what occupied her mind the most. It was the positive things a child would be able to bring them.

Ever since she had been a little girl, she wanted to have kids, not maybe at her current age, but sooner or later she wanted to become a mother… so now, when the possibility was so close, it would be an huge disappointment if it was simply to fade away again.

She raised her eyes to gaze at Ulquiorra – noticing how he was just starring into the wall in front of them without focusing on anything in particular.

Without much hesitation, she snuck his hand down to his, entangling their fingers when he tilted his head to look at her – a faint smile adorning her lips.

"If it turns out I'm pregnant…"

She whispered softly, tightening her grip at his hand unconsciously.

"… Do you want to keep the child?"

He gazed back at her for a long time without answering – his strong green eyes searching for all the hidden desires that her seemingly simple words held.

"If you feel we're ready, I'll rely on your judgment"

-------------------

"Inoue Orihime, Inoue Orihime, the doctor is ready to see you"

She stood up from her chair, shortly afterwards followed by Ulquiorra

Squeezing his hand tightly she walked towards the little office where she knew the doctor was waiting

Waiting to pass judgment on their following life

------------------

They were at the supermarket right after their appointed time with the doctor – it had been a long time since they last was out shopping groceries together. Not so much because they didn't wanted to, but because their jobs normally left Ulquiorra with the shopping whenever Orihime was out at different auditions.

A smile adorned her lips as she began to walk down a totally new section of the supermarket, Ulquiorra still at the vegetables and meat section.

The shelves was filled with unknown stuff she first got the opportunity to look closer at now - everything from diapers to small toys in all kind of different colors.

Smiling to herself she picked up a little bib – only making her more aware of how small a child actually was.

The doctor had confirmed their 'fears' or 'hopes' depending on who you asked…

She was in her first month of pregnancy.

Placing her hand at her stomach subconsciously, she smiled to herself.

Even though Ulquiorra seemed more nervous and reluctant than her, she was completely filled with joy and excitement – the whole thing filling her to the brim with a completely new kind of happiness… to be a mother… It seemed so far away, even now where it was completely in her reach.

Just imagining herself with a child made all the problems around her slowly melt away… It was amazing no matter how you looked at it, and especially now where she got a child with the person she loved and not just a random person when the urge to reproduce got too strong.

Ulquiorra…

She sighed, remembering how he seemed to have been very negative when they had spoken about keeping the child. He pointed out all the economical expenses, the changing lifestyle they would have to convey into, and a lot of other things she had never taken into consideration.

He made it seem like getting a child would only be a burden to them…

She smiled softly when she felt 2 familiar arms wrap around her waist from behind – followed by a light hum from the 'captivator'

"You're already looking at that?"

He asked with a mild tone – nodding slightly against the shelves filled with baby stuff.

"Isn't it too early?"

Orihime sighed slowly as she remembered Ulquiorra's thoughts about getting a baby.

"Do you really want to… get the child?"

She asked silently, feeling how he placed his head at her shoulder when the words had slipped from her mouth – a small huff quickly following.

She honestly felt like Ulquiorra would end up regretting their decision of getting the child. Not so much because she thought he would leave her of that reason, but that it would create scars in their already jagged relationship – and if she could keep him on the condition that they had to wait with the child, she would put her own needs aside and wait…. Wait for the day where he would permit it

"You're the only one I would like to get a child with"

He softly spoke – making shivers run down her spine when he placed his cold lips at her neck, kissing the bare skin with gentle movements

"No-not here…"

She murmured halfheartedly in an attempt to not encourage him any further than she had already done. They were in a supermarket? Sometimes it felt like he had no sense of where they were

However, he just buried his face completely in her neck and his long black bangs hiding the otherwise beautiful green eyes as if he was afraid to show them -His breath lingering at her neck for a moment before he finally spoke

"I know I'm not close to the perfect guy you so desperately deserve to have"

She shivered once again when he took a deep breath in – waiting with mixed anticipation at his words… it wasn't like him at all.

"But… I will do whatever in my power to make you happy…"

Slowly he moved his head up to her face, giving her cheek a small kiss before running his hands from her waist and up to her stomach – making her look back towards him with wonder, when he traced his fingers down the soft fabric that hid her still flat stomach

"So… Please give birth to our child"

* * *

The days went by like fleeting words and before very long the first signs of Orihime's pregnancy became visible.

At first she insisted on still wearing her old clothing – but when the first little T-shirt began to squeeze all the air out of her, she agreed on changing into big dresses and the likes…

Also she felt how her energy was slowly drained as time went by. She got tired easier from simple things as climbing the stairs up their apartment, and even though this bothered her a lot, she still felt relieved to get rid of her morning sickness instead.

The 3 months felt like nothing to her… they went by so fast it almost scared her.

Because of her pregnancy she had long ago stopped looking for auditions, and even though she felt guilty whenever Ulquiorra was sitting at his computer, writing his new chapters, it felt pretty nice to just lie down and relax… While secretly watch Ulquiorra's back of course.

This was one of those moments.

Rubbing her slightly expanded belly, she lifted her body from the comfortableness of the couch to look properly at Ulquiorra – or more precisely, his back.

"We haven't thought about a name for the baby yet…"

She murmured, gazing towards him with a mild smile adorning her lips when he stopped typing at the computer

"Do you have a suggestion? I already have a lot of different names on my mind; Ethan, Dean, Aiko, Emily…"

He spun around in his chair to face her – his green eyes lingering at her for a short while

"Amy"

She smiled softly by her very short and accurate reply to her question

"Amy?"

She repeated with slight wonder hidden in her voice

"Who says it's gonna be a girl? It could might as well be a boy?"

It wasn't like she didn't liked the name 'Amy', it was a beautiful name, but the fact that Ulquiorra didn't suggested an male name as well confused her a bit.

They couldn't call a baby boy Amy?! That would haunt the poor child the rest of his life?

"It means beloved"

A soft smile grazed his lips for just a second – making Orihime blink her eyes with wonder

"That fact is enough reason for me to believe it's gonna be girl."

She shook her head with a smile – allowing herself to lay back against the couch once again while letting out a long withdrawn yawn

"I'll hope for you it's gonna be a girl then, otherwise you'll have to explain our son why **you** named him 'Amy'"

-------------------

Ulquiorra slowly opened his eyes – only met by the endless darkness that shrouded his and Orihime's bedroom.

He couldn't sleep – too many thoughts were looping in his head for him to simply close his eyes and relax.

Instead of trying to sleep again, he left the bed and placed himself at the laptop – staring into the bright screen in some sort of insomniac.

It had gotten worse and worse… Normally he could pull an all-nighter at the computer, but now, as time went by, he actually felt tired. The problem was just… he couldn't sleep no matter how much he wanted to.

Letting out a long sigh he began to write at chapter 21 of his novel – the dark circles under his eyes completely visible in the sharp light the computer screen emitted.

Once in a while he stopped typing, just to listen to the calm breathing from their bedroom – the sound reassuring him that she was okay.

Before very long however, he rose from his chair, closed the laptop with a small 'click' and moved towards their kitchen table, leaving a small note behind before leaving their apartment.

The soft sound of the door closing shut behind him lingering in the air.

'I'm taking a stroll; I'll be back in the morning with breakfast

Ulquiorra'

**A/N: **_Hope you enjoyed reading ^^ *Cookies to all reviewers* Look out for the next update_


	9. White Lies

**Chapter 9: "White lies"**

**A/N:** _Here is the new update, hope you enjoy reading as always x)_

_My vacation is about to end now, and taken this into consideration with my other stories I would like you people out there to be patient with my updates… since they aren't gonna be as frequent as they used to be x)_

_Just remember; I haven't forgotten this story even if I don't update in a while x)_

_Oh, and if you want to read another Ulquihime fic by me which is not AU and have more than one chapter; then check out 'Be My Sacrifice' – I'm currently updating it regularly together with this fic _

_Enjoy the new chapter ^^_

Orihime woke up to the sound of birds singing outside their bedroom window.

At first she chose to just ignore it, shifting slightly when the first beam of sunlight escaped the windows curtains and shun right onto her face.

"Mmm… Ulquiorra… you're awake?"

She muttered slowly as she rolled across the bed, feeling the emptiness of the crumpled sheets when she reached Ulquiorra's side of the bed.

So he had already woken up and left… It wasn't actually surprising her since he way too often woke up long before she did, and instead sat down at his computer.

Lifting her body from the bed, she headed out of their bedroom – rubbing her eyes sleepily while feeling the coldness of the floor under her bare feet.

First when she reached their kitchen she realized something was missing… or more precisely; **someone** was missing.

"Ulquiorra?"

She asked softly, the sound of her voice only breaking the heavy silence in the apartment for a second

First now she noticed the little lap of paper at their kitchen table.

Reading it quickly she shook her head softly when realizing that he had gone for a walk. It wasn't really like him... Normally he would tell her in person that he went out, but this time he simply left a lap of paper?

It seemed somewhat impersonal, but she was none the less happy that he didn't just left without any explanation.

Making herself a cup of 'special tea', she placed herself in their couch while turning on the television.

It felt so lonely all of a sudden to be in their apartment… normally, Ulquiorra would be there all the time, never leaving the apartment silent with the small clicking noises his laptop emitted.

'I'll be back with breakfast' …

She was hungry.

-------------------

"I can't have the chapter done until next week"

He sat down at the nearest bench, scratching the back of his head in frustration when the male voice in the other end of the cell phone spoke once again

"We can't wait any longer, you have already deferred the chapter for too long"

"I know, I know, but some complications have appeared…"

He sighed softly

"What kind of complications? Don't tell me it's connected to your girlfriend again"

Sometimes he really wondered if that man could read thoughts…

"Yea… but it's different this time – she's having a baby and…"

"I don't care if it's different, listen, if you don't have the chapter done until this Friday you'll have to go out and find a new editor"

The telephone line was broken…

Tilting his head back against the bench Ulquiorra forced a good amount of air down his lungs, most of all to calm the rising frustration from surfacing completely.

How could people be so selfish? so uncomprehending?

Next to Ulquiorra stood a little brown paper back, filled up with various kinds of bread and 1 liter of milk – he hoped it would be enough for her to overlook the fact that he had left their home so early, and without a proper explanation…

But what else was there to do? He couldn't just go home and try to sleep when the everlasting stress was nagging at his soul; urging him to sit down and write instead of spending precious time at such trivial things as sleeping.

What would happen if he lost his income because of slack?

… What would happen if Orihime found out?

A small smile brushed his lips.

She would probably just tell him to relax, to lie down and try to sleep a whole night for once.

'Money isn't a problem, we'll manage', he could almost imagine her saying something like that

It amazed him how naïve she could be from time to time… after all, what would she do if they couldn't pay the monthly rent? Would she just sit down in the streets with their child and feed it with food from the trashcans?

Another deep sigh escaped his lips, when he forced himself to leave the bench – carefully putting his cell phone in his jackets pocket.

He had to keep it a secret… at least until the child was born and they had a stabile income again

* * *

"Ulquiorra?!"

She asked when she heard someone unlock their front door, followed by heavy footsteps in their kitchen

Even though the footsteps still were faint, she immediately recognized them

"Where have you been all this time?"

She lifted herself from the couch, immediately feeling the heaviness from the still expanding part of her anatomy – her stomach.

Her eyes quickly fixated themselves at Ulquiorra when he entered the living room with a brown paper back in his hand and a somewhat drowsy look painted across his pale face – for a minute she almost forgot the fact that he looked tired, by mere hunger.

As if he wanted to avoid her question he placed the paperback at the table in their living room – bending down towards her and placing a short kiss on her cheek when she wanted to repeat the question.

"I have brought breakfast"

Temporarily busy with the brown paperback, she took the content out and moved towards the kitchen so she could, at last, get something to eat.

"Where have you been?"

She sensed how he relented his answer, first answering when she turned back to look at him with wondering eyes

"As I wrote to you; outside… walking"

…

Lies?

"Okay…"

She muttered softly. After all, she wasn't really the person to seek out conflicts, and especially not with Ulquiorra…

She trusted his words, and that even though a little voice in her head told he was lying… chose to ignore it - now was not the time to take her boyfriends trustworthiness up to consideration.

"You're not tired? … You look pretty worn out"

She noticed how he turned his head when the words reached him - a long intense gaze fixated at her for a long time, before another long sigh escaped his pale lips.

"It's nothing to worry about, I'll manage"

It annoyed her that he never involved her in his problems… He was always there for her, always ready to help and care for her when she was sad.

But… now where he seemed to hide some things from her, he wouldn't speak to her and simply brushed her questions off? Couldn't he see that she just wanted to help him like he had helped her so many times?

Putting on a big fake smile she simply focused on the breakfast – trying to push Ulquiorra's weird behavior aside.

Now was not the time…

---------------

One of the following nights they both went early to bed, Orihime clutching to Ulquiorra's back even when she was supposed to sleep… But… somehow she felt like he would disappear if she chose to let go.

Burying her face against the back of his head she listened to his small even breathing.

"Ulquiorra…"

She listened closely as he spoke just a couple of seconds before she had softly called out for his name.

He couldn't possibly just have woken up.

"What is it?"

Enforcing her reverse grip around him, she gathered the courage to actually ask what was on her mind. A question that first now was beginning to surface in her little confused mind…

"Do you… still love me?"

Silence followed.

She felt stupid for asking if he loved her. After all, it wasn't something a pregnant woman was supposed to ask her boyfriend about in the middle of the night… she was supposed to know the answer already and just be happy about her life and the child that would be born soon.

But… his weird behavior… the more frequent walks he took… the lack of sleep… It was even a rarity that he was sleeping in the same bed as her at the moment and because of that she savored every moment of it.

When no answer came she began to fear the worst… until she felt how Ulquiorra shifted slightly – turning completely around on his side so he was facing her.

Even in the heavy darkness she could still see the green color of his eyes just slightly.

"What's wrong? You know I love you?"

She sighed softly – the new position allowing her to rest her hands at his chest, fumbling her fingers along the lines of his shoulders. She felt much more at ease now where he gave her his full attention… his words reassuring her to unknown extends.

"I don't know… I just think I'm freaking out for no reason…"

A little nervous laugh escaped her lips.

"It's just…"

She shivered slightly when he ran his fingers down her waist – apparently he was trying to make her relax and speak… speak about the emotions she held inside.

"It's just that… you haven't been sleeping very much… and you've been walking around a lot… I'm just nervous for your health"

She took a deep breath

"I'm nervous for us"

It had only crossed her mind briefly before then, but first now she allowed herself to think properly about it.

What if he… saw some other woman?

The thought made her completely silent for a while, her gray eyes searching into the darkness for the familiar green color of Ulquiorra's eyes.

He would never do something like that… no… how could she even think like that, after all he had done to her? After all they had been through together? After all the trust they had put into each other she paid him back by doubting him?

Pulling herself completely close to him, she felt his arms embrace her slowly – almost urging her to continue to speak.

"I'm just afraid to lose you…"

His chest rose slowly when he inhaled a good amount of air down his lungs – Something Orihime was able to feel clearly because of her head which was positioned at the top of his chest, right under his chin.

At last he spoke

6 simple words that answered all her questions more than any long explanation could have done

"I love you, no one else"

**A/N: **_Keep in mind that updates will be slower than usual, and remember to review x)_


	10. Baby Burden

**Chapter 10: "Baby burden"**

**A/N: **_I hereby declare this chapter a milestone in my work as a fanfiction writer – chapter 10! ^^ Gonna go for chapter 100 now… or something xD _

_I was confused by Ulquiorra's last name since I found it translated as 'Cifer' and 'Schiffer'… and since there is no assigned last name to his name here on , I was sort of confused at which one to use._

_So I just chose 'Cifer' since it's the one I've always used on sites and such._

_None the less, here is the new update, hope you enjoy reading as always x)_

Days went by faster than she could count, and before she even knew it they were already busy buying things for the new family member.

Diapers, toys, baby food, small clothing in both blue and pink colors were temporarily lying all over the apartment in random corners, Orihime desperately trying to make room for a crib where most of the stuff could be placed. However, she soon found out that their apartment was simply too small – only allowing the crib to stand outside of their bedroom.

Because of this she tried to convince Ulquiorra of letting the baby sleep with them in their shared bed – not exactly getting the response she originally wanted to get.

Instead of a smile and an approval, he began to speak about how the baby could be suffocated if she, for example, moved and turned a lot in her sleep.

"Bu-but, where can the baby sleep then?!"

She asked, seemingly stressed by the problem.

"The crib stands fine outside of the bedroom, we'll just have to sleep with open door or use a baby alarm so we'll be able to hear if something is wrong"

She could see what Ulquiorra meant and it wouldn't really be such a big problem if they used a baby alarm…. But… Somehow she had just imagined to sleep in the same room as the baby. So she could wake up in the middle of the night and look at her sleeping child.

It just seemed a lot more intimate than having the baby on the other side of their bedroom… torn apart by a big wall.

Even though she wanted to avoid it, they ended up putting the crib outside of their bedroom… but of course first after many discussions from Orihime's side and the desperate suggestion that they could just buy a smaller bed so the crib could stand inside their bedroom.

She just had to deal with it…

* * *

As time went by, Orihime also grew more and more restless.

There was no way she could walk around to auditions as she used to, so it was only natural that she gradually became bored and restless from the limited choices she had at home. She often caught herself at just sitting in their couch; watching the always repeating television shows that never really entertained her very well.

This seemed to be such a day. She was sitting and reading the newspaper – her clear gray eyes running across the weekly ads and some commercials here and there.

Nothing unusual, noting special, all the same… or was it?

She stopped her eyes at an ad that made her whole face light up in a big smile.

"Ulquiorra?"

She held her eyes at the ad even when she heard a small 'mmm?' from his work space. He had been sitting there more frequently…

"Are you open to new experiences?"

She listened as silence filled the room – just barely broken by the small voices that emitted from their turned on television.

He turned slowly around in his chair, the green eyes seemingly a bit confused by her somewhat vague question.

"Experiences?"

He sighed softly, scratching the back of his head.

Of course he was aware of her boredom… so her words could only mean that she thought about something he probably would be against.

However, because of her pregnancy and because she was who she was, he could only act somewhat indulgent to her words, speaking up before very long;

"What did you have on your mind?"

-------------------

A deep sigh left his lips before he even had a chance to hold it back.

They were sitting in a big gym like room on the floor – Orihime smiling widely while her eyes were fixated at the woman that had been speaking about what it was like to give birth, and what kind of responsibilities that would follow.

"So, just for a starter, I would like each one of you to tell the group about your reasons for getting a child"

Ulquiorra sighed once again when he heard the 'so-called-teachers' words, and how all the other women and men in the room began to chit chat with each other.

… How did he end up in such a place?

"Well…"

Orihime blushed slightly – though the small smile still lingered on her lips.

"I assume we can't tell them that it was a… mistake, on my behalf…"

He sighed once again.

He knew that such things as an expensive antenatal educational class, straight from the newspaper, would be a bad idea. He had promised to be positive for Orihime's sake, and not just walk out of the room from the start… but…

He really didn't like the fact that the teacher and group wanted to know such an important fact about their life really bothered him… and then again, maybe he just overreacted?

After all, he had always hated to speak about his private life with others. Not that he was embarrassed about it, no, that was definitely not it, but because he preferred to only open his world to people who actually deserved to get informed about it.

Not just some random group of pregnant women and their husbands….

"So, Inoue Orihime and Cifer Ulquiorra"

He noticed how certain couples in the group began to whisper when they found out that they didn't shared the same last name…

"We…?!"

Ulquiorra stopped Orihime from saying any more – holding his arm in front of her to make her stop from speaking.

"It originated as a mistake, but we have decided to get the baby none the less"

He pierced his sharp green eyes into the 'teachers' dull brown ones to show her that it wasn't really a matter they wanted to get into detail with

He was only met by a big false smile as the teacher said;

"I'm glad on your behalf"

Oh no she wasn't glad… she was just a false woman that already had prejudice against them. After all they were young, they weren't married, and the baby hadn't really been planned from the start… Oh, he hated such people with a burning passion.

The teacher, seemingly ignorant to Ulquiorra's thoughts however, Turned to ask the next couple in the room while Ulquiorra felt how Orihime placed her hand at his – clutching it just slightly in an obvious attempt to make him relax.

"It doesn't matter"

She whispered softly to him so the 'teacher' wouldn't be bothered by it – her clear gray eyes mild and a small smile adorning her lips.

"They aren't involved in our life, so don't worry about their opinions"

He let out another deep sigh – closing her eyes for a moment in an attempt to comply with Orihime's request

After all, he had promised her to be positive and open… not narrow-minded like he sometimes could be.

"I just can't see the meaning of sharing such a thing with complete strangers – I understand that the theories about birth and the exercises are gonna prepare you, but…"

He was immediately silenced when Orihime moved forwards – giving him a quick kiss, her long red hair cascading and brushing slightly against his cheeks in the process.

He looked at her for a while when their kiss was broken.

Apparently he wasn't really being so positive and open-minded as he had promised to be…

"Okay, okay"

He finally exclaimed

"I just hope we'll soon hear about something else than future parents and their perfect lives"

* * *

"Okay, We'll now change subject to the many responsibilities that follow all new parents"

Ulquiorra tilted his head just slightly – his green eyes focusing at a random spot in the ceiling while trying halfheartedly at listening to the 'teachers' words.

However, all he heard was bla bla bla economy, bla bla bla it's gonna consume your spare time, bla bla bla…

It really seemed like there was nothing new to be learned from her, no matter how much experience she had on the subject.

Couldn't they just get on with it soon? He could read to such stuff in a book or on the internet anyway?

"One of the hardest things for many new parents, is the minimum amount of sex in their new life"

Ulquiorra slowly lifted his head when hearing her words

"With a small child in the house, constantly begging for attention, such matters are often pushed into the background"

Small whispering voices were once again filling the room – the subject significantly tenser than economy that the teacher had spoken about just minutes ago.

Orihime also blushed furiously at the new subject, her eyes fixated at the floor as if she was trying to avoid his gaze.

"That isn't gonna be a problem, is it?"

He asked calmly. He couldn't really be bothered too much by such matters.

Not that he wanted to have a less active sex life – no he loved Orihime, including her body, but he really couldn't see them totally giving up on something like that just because a child was in their home.

Small children slept heavily… right?

"No-no, I assume not"

She muttered - her cheeks red like tomatoes.

"Otherwise I'll make sure that it isn't gonna be a problem"

He couldn't help but smile a bit when the red color in Orihime's cheeks were enforced by his words – after all, he wasn't really the kind of person to get embarrassed about such matters.

However, it amazed him that Orihime could be so shy in public when it came to intimacy… but oh so very open and confident when they were alone and 'together'…

"And now we'll switch to some physical training to prepare the upcoming mothers for their birth"

-------------------

"Lift your arms over your head and take a deep breath all the way down to your stomach"

Orihime complied with the teacher's instructions – inhaling a good amount of air down her lungs while raising her arms over her head.

She quickly looked towards Ulquiorra with an amused smile – him standing in the same position as her with a somewhat impatient expression.

The whole thing was really worth it when just seeing him like that.

"Your arms has to be raised higher above your head"

Orihime corrected him, laughing mildly when he frowned at her, raising his arms even higher above his head so the long sleeves of his white sweater slid all the way down to his elbows – exposing his way too pale arms

It was really a big plus that it wasn't just the new mother's who had to do the exercises but also their partners. If she had to stand there, making a fool out of herself with arms raised above her head while taking deep breaths, it would only embarrass her…

After all, the whole thing about showing herself in public wasn't really a thing she enjoyed, at least not when it wasn't connected to her job as an actor.

"Good, Now I would like the male partners to stand behind their female partners"

She felt how Ulquiorra did as the teacher said without complaining – placing his head on her shoulder when getting close enough.

Unknowingly she allowed a small sigh of pleasure to play upon her lips.

Feeling the soft sensation of his lips at her neck she shivered, blushing furiously when she noticed how the couple next to them stared.

"Ul-Ulquiorra, not now…"

She muttered, but was soon cut off by the teacher's voice.

"Mr. Cifer, can you wait with the intimacy until we are done?"

She heard when a soft sound of displease left Ulquiorra's throat before he reluctantly withdrew his head from her shoulder.

"Good, can we continue then? Place your arms around your partners stomach and do 10 deep breathings with each other"

Ulquiorra placed his arms around her – placing both hands at her stomach.

It had grown so much… to such an extent that she almost felt nervous because of it. She knew it wouldn't take long before the child was supposed to be born, but the drastical change in her whole body and the big stomach she carried around was really a massive upheaval to her.

She just hoped that everything would end up okay… After all, the thought about giving birth was still a bit scary to her

Feeling the soft sensation of his fingers brushing along her stomach, she took a deep breath accompanied by Ulquiorra just seconds after.

"You know…"

He whispered close to her ear.

"… This isn't so bad after all"

She couldn't help but laugh softly at his comment, taking another deep breath when the rest of the group did so.

"So you don't think it was a complete waste of time?"

She felt how he shook his head against the back of her head – apparently so she was able to feel it

"No"

A soft kiss was planted at the bare spot at her shoulder blades – just quick enough for the 'teacher' not to notice

"How could any time with you be a waste?"

**A/N: **_Hope you enjoyed reading, reviews are loved eternally ^^_


	11. Crucial Pain

**Chapter 11: "Crucial Pain"**

**A/N: **_Hello out there ^^ I just bought 2 new cd's for my playlist: "Fanfiction stemming", which means something like' fanfiction mood' x) so I'm all set up for this chapter._

_I really wanted to write this chapter loooong ago, but somehow homework always appeared whenever I wanted to . Fate is cruel…_

_Enjoy the new chapter ^^_

"What size does she use?"

Ulquiorra's sharp green eyes lingered at the clerk for a couple of moments. Gazing momentarily at the awful yellow shirt she was wearing, the way too deep cleavage and the ever fake red lips that just made her seem like another fake doll in the endless play of life.

He was in the depths of the town they lived in – standing inside a shop he had never been in before… or thought he would find himself in.

Every inch of the little shop was adorned with some sort of clothing. Everything from skirts to dresses to T-shirts to even underwear… it all seemed very unfamiliar to him.

"I haven't the slightest idea"

He honestly said to the clerks question. Such a thing as measuring Orihime before taking his leave wasn't really a thing he had thought deep about. After all, he could almost remember every part, size or curve of her body so he really couldn't see the reason for putting numbers on it.

That was until the clerk asked of course…

"Oh…"

She muttered, her eyes drifting away from his for a second

"… Is she small, normal height, tall?"

Ulquiorra placed his hand in the air at where he knew Orihime's height was – earning a small nod from the clerk in response.

"What about her body type?"

He couldn't help but smile a little bit when placing his hands a bit from his chest – showing with his hands how big she was around the bust area.

The clerk blinked her eyes in disbelief – looking at him with a look that clearly revealed that she couldn't really find out if he was serious or making fun of her…

"O-Okay?"

She muttered, momentarily pulling up in her low cut T-shirt so it better hid the area around her chest.

"I'm not sure we have underwear in that size, but normal clothing won't be a problem"

-------------------

She yawned loudly – walking restlessly around in their apartment as if she was some kind of animal in a cage. Ulquiorra had just left half an hour ago – insisting on going alone for some unknown reason he wouldn't share with her.

So now she was left alone with her thoughts once again.

She moved to the window – her clear gray eyes gazing down at the busy streets that were already filled up to the brim with busy people. The sun was shining so most of the girls wore small tops and skirts, or even a dress once in a while.

She lowered her eyes to her stomach – slowly placing her hands on the expanded spot. She wanted to wear normal clothing again… wanted to wear something else than the big bags of clothing she was forced to wear at the moment.

A whale… that was what she felt like.

A small smile adorned her lips when she felt a small movement in her stomach. The appointed day for her birth were mere weeks away… leaving her with a mixed feeling of fear and anticipation.

It was, after all, a life changing event in her life. Her whole horizon would be expanded by 1 person, she would have to care for the new family member until it would be able to be independent, and she would have to share her love with the child …

Maybe an equal amount of love she directed towards Ulquiorra...

Could love… be limited to a predetermined amount? So she would only be able to take some love she felt towards Ulquiorra and give it to the child?

Another movement could be felt from her stomach – harder this time.

She took a deep breath, her smile fading slightly when a wave of pain washed across her. She was forced down on her knees - the pain was unbearable, nothing like everything she had ever experienced before, like a period cramp just 100 times worse.

What was… happening?

She took another deep breath – keeping her from panicking completely while the pain was only enforced as the seconds passed.

It was too early… maybe it would just subdue if she waited and kept holding on… kept thinking about something else while the pain only enforced and enforced and enforced…

_Ul…_

However, the pain didn't stop.

-----------------

Ulquiorra was at their local grocer, his green eyes analyzing the nearby shelf that was filled up to the brim with canned food.

He held a black bag in his right hand, adorned with a shops name written in big white letters.

It had been a pain to find her size, but, none the less, he had a feeling that it would fit her just right.

She would look beautiful… She always did, but he had listened to her whining about the big clothing she had to wear, so before he even was aware of it himself he had already headed towards the shopping district to buy her some 'proper' clothing.

Still slightly consumed by his thoughts his cell phone rang.

With a can of soup in his hand he picked the cell phone up from his pocket and placed it close to his right ear.

"Hello?"

He listened closely as some sort of noise filled the phone followed up by a female voice. A voice he couldn't recognize.

"Mister Ulquiorra Cifer?"

He couldn't help but wonder by the fact that the woman used his full name – It was only very few people who was familiar with it.

"Yes?"

Placing the can of soup at the shelf again he moved the phone to his other ear – his green eyes focusing at a random spot close to his feet.

"We've taken your partner Orihime Inoue to the hospital, she is currently unconscious but her condition is stable"

It felt like someone forced a knife down into his back when the woman spoke. He couldn't believe what was happening… couldn't find out what was up or down anymore

"Mister Cifer?" She said when no reply was given.

Slowly moving his hand up to his hair he tried to collect himself. It would only complicate things even further if he lost his composure.

"Wha-what happened?"

He asked as calmly as he could – horrible images running through his mind before the woman in the other end of the phone had any opportunity to answer.

"She called 911, saying that she was in unbearable pain"

Ulquiorra forced some fresh air down his lungs while listening… he suddenly had an idea what was about happening.

"Her condition is stable at the moment, but we had to give her some pain relieving medication"

Quickly leaving his cart behind, he headed towards the exit – still with the phone clutched ever so closely to his ear.

There was only one logical explanation…

"Is she gonna give… birth?"

He finally managed to ask.

But wasn't the baby gonna come later? If he knew she was supposed to give birth so soon he would never have left her alone for one moment?

Silence filled the phone line before the woman spoke again;

"Don't worry, we have everything under control, it's a bit early for her to give birth, but we're keeping a close eye on her"

The sun shun down on him when he left the grocer – only the little black plastic bag in his hands except for the phone.

_Keep calm…_

However, only one question filled his mind in that moment… One crucial information he hadn't received yet

"Where is she?"

----------------

Orihime slowly opened her eyes.

She was in an unknown place – surrounded by white walls, tables and placed in an unfamiliar bed.

Her body felt like lead when she tried to lift her upper body from the white sheets that had been put around her body ever so neatly…

However, she was immediately met by a pair of deep brown eyes and a concerned female voice.

What the voice said wasn't audible to her… it was as if she was underwater and all sound from the surface was gone.

As if she had lost some part of her senses in that moment.

A pair of hands slowly lowered her down to the bed again – her eyes trying to focus on the several women that towered over her bed when they saw she was awake.

"Miss Orihime Inoue?"

She slowly blinked her eyes when she recognized some of the words – gently nodding her head to show them that she understood.

She could hear again…

"Are you in any pain?"

A couple of the women began to lift her bed while she managed to shake her head. She wasn't in any pain anymore… she simply felt limp… numb… more like she was dreaming than awake.

When her mind slowly collected itself she looked around in the room – her clear gray eyes softening when she noticed that something was missing.

Someone was missing…

"Where is… Ulquiorra?"

She managed to ask – her eyes slowly closing when she thought about how Ulquiorra felt about the whole situation.

What if he hadn't even been informed yet?

The thought made her shake just slightly.

What if she had to give birth all alone? What if he couldn't make it time? … What would she do if that happened?

"Don't worry, you're partner is soon gonna be here soon"

She let out a sigh of sheer relief – looking thankfully at the nurse that had given her the crucial piece of information.

The crucial piece of information that made her calm down just a bit…

"Is this your first child?"

The nurse suddenly asked – smiling friendly down towards Orihime in a way a mother would do to her child.

She thought it would be obvious when taking her age into consideration but instead of being bothered by it she simply smiled softly back.

She felt safe… If just for a moment

"Yes"

She laughed quietly

"It's gonna be quiet an upheaval…"

--------------

Ulquiorra entered the massive white building – his steps echoing in the seemingly endless white hallways when searching for the room he had been directed to in the reception.

The room where Orihime should be.

When he finally saw the white door with the number 22 on it he quickly turned the handle – his green eyes immediately searching for the familiar figure that was the sole purpose for his worry.

"Orihime!"

He exclaimed when his eyes finally fell upon her. She looked drowsy, pale, exhausted - her hair sticking slightly to her cheeks as if she had been crying.

However, when her clear gray eyes slowly found its way to him – finding their way home, her whole face brightened up in a smile.

A smile that reassured him like nothing else could have done in that situation.

"I'm sorry!" She said softly – a slightly nervous laugh escaping her lips

"I couldn't make the contractions stop"

He sighed deeply – moving towards her with hastened steps, and placing himself at the nearest chair next to her bed.

"You really made me worried there… I thought you were already about to give birth"

He placed his hand at hers, gazing intensely at her to make sure that she really was okay.

"How long are you gonna be here?"

"Until I give birth – the nurses said that it's probably gonna happen during the next 48 hours"

He felt some sort of messed up guilt when hearing her words. How could he have missed her body's signals and left her alone in such a crucial moment?

What would he have done if she couldn't call 911 before passing out…

What would have happened…

"I should have stayed home with you…"

Orihime shook her head softly by his words

"It isn't your fault"

He felt how she reached out for him, running her fingers through his black locks of hair when she could reach him – a reassuring smile on her lips.

"I can stand on my own once in a while you know?"

**A/N: **_Hope you enjoyed reading – Reviewers are loved as always ^^_


	12. The Miracle

**Chapter 12: "The Miracle"**

**A/N: **_Hello out there ^^ I've been really busy and down for quite some time now, so I've lacked my passion to write…_

_Sorry about that, and bear with the slower updates._

_Enjoy reading._

She was lying beneath the comfortable white sheets. Her eyelids were completely closed as if she was sleeping, her hair had been neatly placed in a ponytail so it wouldn't bother her too much and even though the sheets weren't that thick and the window was open, she felt too warm.

At her side sat the love of her life – his little laptop neatly placed in his lap while the small clicking noises the keyboard emitted gave her a slight feeling of 'home'.

Just a slight feeling…

She took a deep breath – Inhaling a good amount of the fresh summer air from the open window close to her.

She felt at ease for once.

"Ulquiorra…"

She whispered softly

"Are you gonna stay with me… when I'm gonna give birth"

She hoped so dearly that he would stay with her… but since she had heard about men who didn't liked to attend a woman's birth she had to make sure. Make sure that Ulquiorra wouldn't mind holding her hand in such a crucial moment…

The soft clicking from the keyboard stilled.

"Isn't it obvious?"

He asked seemingly confused that she could even doubt him on that front

"Of course I'll be there with you; I wouldn't be able to relax if you were gonna give birth by yourself…"

He reached out for her hand – smiling a bit while his green eyes assured her that everything would be alright.

His action made her otherwise pale and tired face light up just a bit while a smile painted her lips. She wanted to show him her gratitude… wanted to give just as much back as she received from him time after time.

Yes, they had their ups and downs but they always managed to put the past behind them and live in the present.

It was a great feeling… and she always tried to express her love to him. Maybe not in mere words but at least with her body language… It didn't have to be something big, but just a small loving smile here and there could really do wonders for a lot of things. For example to reassure the special someone that he or she still meant the world to you…

Orihime couldn't help herself when small droplets of water began to form in the corner of her eyes.

She was happy.

"Thank you"

* * *

It took approximately 12 hours until the pain began to resurface – leaving her in unbelievable pain. However, because Ulquiorra was at her side at that moment he was able to call for the staff immediately – all getting ready for the delivery of the child.

If she had to describe it, everything felt like one big hell of pain. She got several injections with different kind of drugs to take the pain, but none the less it still hurt like nothing she had ever experienced before. The nurses all said that she was doing fine, and that the pain would soon subdue…

But… It just felt like it would never stop. As if the pain would never go away, and that she would simply lay at the hospital forever.

Ulquiorra was really the best support she could ever have in such a situation. He didn't spoke a lot, but simply held her hand and brushed hair away from her face from time to time with gentle fingertips… It all reassured her that she was not alone. That someone was there with her.

It was first after 10 long hours that it all ended and the miracle was brought to life.

Her child had been born – the first small cries resounding in the busy hospital room.

She felt exhausted, tired, hot, and even so, all she could think about was to see her child for the first time…

"I was right"

She lifted her head softly upon hearing Ulquiorra's voice at her side. She still breathed heavily but managed to collect her mind and focus at Ulquiorra's face.

He was smiling.

"It's a girl"

She sighed deeply while feeling how Ulquiorra bent down and kissed her forehead.

She had still not seen the child since the only thing she could see from her position was the nurses and their backs as they supposedly were about to determine the little girls weight.

A girl…

Orihime immediately lifted her eyes with anticipation as the nurses brought the little child to her. With trembling hands she reached out when the nurses gave her the child.

She was so small… their little girl… so small that Orihime felt worried just holding her in that moment. She had small hands, her skin the same pale color as Ulquiorra and the eyes a piercing green.

From first glance she really seemed to take after her father…

"She's beautiful…"

Orihime whispered softly when the little baby girl seemed to be quiet for a while – the sharp green eyes only briefly showing whenever the child tried to open its eyes.

"Amy…"

----------------

Ulquiorra gazed at Orihime – his piercing green eyes never straying from her.

She seemed a lot better now – holding their child gently in her arms as if she were handling something very fragile.

Ulquiorra couldn't deny that 'Amy' was beautiful… Even if it had been someone else's child, he would still think that she was beautiful.

Many people would probably say that the child took from the father – pale skin, sharp green eyes…

However, Ulquiorra could clearly see where the child took from the mother. He could barely hint the start of what, soon would be red hair on the child's small head and somehow the child's face was markedly softer than his – resembling Orihime's lineamentmuch more than his own.

He smiled softly when Orihime turned her gaze towards him.

It pleased him when Orihime smiled like that. She seemed a lot happier and a lot more relaxed… and he knew it was connected to their child that was now sleeping soundly close to her bosom.

He placed himself at the side of her bed – softly stroking the child's head so he wouldn't disturb her state of sleep.

"I'm happy"

Orihime whispered almost completely inaudibly. "I honestly don't know how to react to all of this…"

Ulquiorra listened silently to her words with attentive eyes

"… I'm not sure if I should be happy, worried, relieved, or all at the same time…"

She laughed nervously

"It's stupid isn't it? I feel nervous about this because… we're so young… I know you're the one for me, I have no doubt there, but… what if we can't provide her with the proper care?"

Orihime placed her hand on top of his

"I just want the best for her…"

Ulquiorra couldn't help but feel sorry for her in that moment. Not so much because she was worried in general, but because she always worried without any real reason.

"Why would our age influence that?"

He softly answered. Though the whole conversation reminded him too much about the annoying female 'teacher' at the antenatal educational class, he managed to keep the frustration down. Age wouldn't influence anything… The only problem on that front would be society's reaction, not their abilities as parents.

"I'm sure you'll be a great mother, you worry unnecessarily"

"But…"

He narrowed his eyes just a bit – gazing at her with patience when she seemed to be unsure of how to word something.

"But… What about you? You're always telling me how a good mother I would be… but… what about you?"

_So… that was what occupied her mind._

"I don't think you're gonna be a bad father, not at all!, but you always seem to focus on me, not yourself"

He calmly gazed at her when he felt the familiar warmth of her hand against his cheek.

"Is something bothering you?"

He allowed a deep sigh to play upon his lips. Maybe she was right… maybe he should be more worried about himself rather than her.

Running a hand through the soft locks of his hair – he allowed his gaze to drift for a bit, ultimately revealing his mental condition for a while. He wasn't as composed and solid as always… he was wavering, if just for a moment.

"No… it's nothing"

He damned himself for shutting Orihime off once again. So instead of just accepting the fact he actually tried to open up for once, squeezing her hand just a bit in an attempt to ease up.

"I just want the best for the child, like you"

He lifted his hand towards the baby – caressing the small head softly and earning a satisfied mumble from the little girl.

He hoped they could manage it…

-----------------

Orihime stayed at the hospital for several days – constantly surrounded by several nurses.

Because of the massive amount of new faces, she never really learned their names, and therefore always found herself in embarrassing situations when trying to address any of them.

"Uhm… excuse me?"

She asked softly, while sending a small poke to Ulquiorra's waist when not getting the nurses attention.

"Can you please see what her name is… on her name tag?"

And always she received a small sigh and a pair of cool green eyes.

Afterwards Ulquiorra would just address one of the nurses as 'nurse' and the young girl or woman would immediately react like it wasn't even bothering them.

However, Orihime found it rude to not use the person's respective name. To be called 'nurse' was just too superficial when speaking to such kind and helpful people… They had, after all, helped her give birth, so she somehow felt indebted to them.

They had done so much for her… so when she finally was allowed to leave the hospital with little Amy, she felt kind of… sad… to leave.

It was weird… maybe, if just maybe, they had met under other circumstances… She could have been their friend.

-----------------

"I've bought something for you"

Orihime lifted her gaze towards Ulquiorra by his words, while she gently rocked Amy in her arms.

With curious eyes she watched as Ulquiorra pulled out a black plastic bag from under their kitchen table – soon afterwards holding a beautiful dress up for her to see.

"Aaaw, you shouldn't have done that"

She responded - her voice filled to the brim with joy.

The dress was white with black spots, the V cut of the dress embroidered with a pattern of small black laces, and a black bow adorned the center.

Still holding Amy firmly in her arms she approached the dress – running her hands across the soft fabric.

She couldn't help herself so she immediately looked at the size – allowing a small pleased laugh to escape from her lips.

"And the right size and all"

With a loving hand she brushed some black hair from Ulquiorra's forehead – kissing it softly in order to show her appreciation. She honestly couldn't wait to try it on.

As if Ulquiorra had sensed her eager, he gently took the sleeping Amy from her arms while handing the dress over to her.

"I would like to see if it fits you – After all, you're not the easiest person to buy clothing for"

He sat down at the kitchen table again, looking at her with waiting eyes.

"What are you suggesting?"

She huffed with a slightly teasing look in her gray eyes and her chest proudly pressed forward.

"You're saying that my body isn't properly proportioned?"

"Not at all" He answered gently – his bright green eyes trailing down her body as if it was the most normal and laid back thing to do.

"It's not you who's something wrong with – it's everybody else"

Even though Orihime had a hard time accepting his words she decided that it was best to shut his mouth by actually showing him the dress – and her seemingly abnormal body proportions.

Sliding the little skirt she wore down to her ankles she watched with clear amusement as Ulquiorra quickly lowered his eyes to Amy.

Apparently he had expected her to undress somewhere else…

---------------

He had a hard time looking away – brushing the little child across the soft cheeks in an attempt to fixate his mind on something else… just something else than Orihime.

However, he couldn't help but peek once in a while – his green eyes rising to her body just before lowering again.

It wasn't like he was embarrassed at the situation… No, he just found the growing desires very inappropriate, and especially with his daughter resting silently in his arms.

"You don't want to look?"

He couldn't help but laugh inaudibly at her teasing words… she had really grown bold over time, though it didn't bother him as much as it probably should have done.

"I'm telling you, your body is fine, many women would kill just to have a body close to yours"

He blinked his eyes a couple of times when she began to remove the little white top she had worn just previously.

Under normal circumstances, her undressing in front of him wouldn't be a problem. He would enjoy seeing her, but to resist the animalistic urges wouldn't be a problem.

However, this time was different somehow. Mainly because it had been so long since they last were intimate with each other.

Not because he hadn't felt the urges rise in him, but mainly because he wouldn't lay a hand on her when pregnant. Maybe it was just him being too concerned by trivial things, but it had ultimately led their sex life into a dead end in that period…

So now… where Orihime was basically testing the last amount of his patience, he couldn't even look at her. If he did, he just got a strong urge to pin her down at the first and best surface and undress her completely.

He wouldn't fall to that, not yet.

"I thought you wanted to see the dress on"

He sighed softly, finally gazing directly at her when she stood in her white underwear – the underwear he, funny enough, also bought for her a couple of months ago.

"Of course, but right now you're not wearing it"

He felt how she grew even more aggressive in her teasing – stepping forward across the floor until she stood right in front of him, gently taking Amy out of his arms.

"Are we in a hurry?"

Another deep sigh left his lips and he couldn't help but smile a bit by her irony.

Following her intensely with his green eyes, Orihime placed Amy in the crib at the other end of the room, once again, returning to Ulquiorra – now without anything to fixate his eyes on.

He failed to answer her question when he felt how her slim fingers ran through his hair and down to the crook of his shirt.

Even though he still wanted to keep the motion somehow slow and fluid, he soon found himself wrapping both arms around Orihime's bared waist, testing the warm skin by running his fingertips around the area.

"No matter how beautiful that dress looks on you…"

He muttered close to her ear while gently pulling her completely onto his lap.

"…You're always most beautiful when naked"

---------------

She laughed a little by his complimenting words – running both her hands down to his chest while trying to settle herself at the small spot she was allowed in his lap.

"So you're saying that I should walk around naked?"

She couldn't help but shiver in sheer need when one of his hands trailed up her back – opening her bra with the greatest ease. Apparently, he had gradually learned how to open those tricky things without any problems.

"No…"

He muttered against her ear – forcing a soft sigh to escape her lips out of pure anticipation. Now it was his time to tease her, and it was gradually driving her mad with sexual tension.

"I don't want others to see you like this"

They quickly met in a deep kiss. A kiss that was a lot more demanding and desperate than usual – perhaps brought forth from the urges they both felt and were currently striving with every inch of their bodies for.

The sound of lips crashing upon each other resounded in the otherwise silent apartment for several long seconds – soon mixed by the sound of clothing falling to the floor.

Turning her gaze towards the little crib she couldn't help but ask a naïve question;

"Isn't Amy gonna wake up?"

A hand fell upon her stomach; Ulquiorra's other arm still holding her firmly in place around the waist.

"Perhaps…"

She yelped automatically when the hand at her stomach moved dangerously low.

"… But if you keep quiet we won't have that problem, will we?"

**A/N: **_Phew! Again, sorry for the slow update, I'm trying to update whenever inspiration strikes me, so bear with my inspiration source when it's lacking x)_

_Reviews make me do this: ^___^_


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